Severance and Forlorn
by HiKari Mokuba's Guardian
Summary: Seto was adopted by a monster named Gozaburo Kaiba. In the Kaiba Mansion, there are lessons to be learned and old habits to be broken. To become what he wants to be, he must let go of what he once knew to be true, turning him into the man he despises.
1. One

One

Seto Kaiba held his breath once the limo made its final turn through the open gates and onto the large estate that was what would always be known as, the Kaiba Mansion. Inside the mansion were his future, his career, and ultimately his new life. Seto was neither happy nor sad about this, only determined. Determined to be the best, and rise above all that was ever expected of him while he inhabited that horrid orphanage. He was going to live the life that he was born to live. Seto Kaiba was ten years old.

His brother sat beside him in the backseat of the limo, restless and nervous. He kept shifting his weight, and changing his sitting position, only one thing remained. His hand was always locked to Seto's, and he held onto Seto as if his short-lived life depended on it. The boy's name was Mokuba Kaiba, and he feared the life that now lay ahead of them. Seto was his only lifeline, and the only family he truly had. Not only that, but the only person in this world he felt he could trust and the one person who seemed to care.

The limo calmly came to stop, and Mokuba's body froze just as it did. It was going to happen, their new life was about to begin. And he wasn't ready. Mokuba was five years old, and everything but ready to take on this challenge. He turned his head towards Seto, his eyes big with desperation and fear. Seto's face was unchanging, almost emotionless. Everything but scared. Mokuba didn't know if this made him feel better or worse.

The door clicked open, and a short, toad-like man appeared holding the door open for them. The man had tiny glasses sticking to his head, and his expression was the least bit inviting.

"Boys, this is your new home," he said, holding out his hand as if to present the mansion to them. Seto stepped out of the vehicle, ready to take on whatever came to him, and Mokuba was quick to follow behind. "My name is Hobson," Hobson stated, before shutting the car door from behind the two boys. The sound of the door being shut made Mokuba jump and twist around. His nerves were getting the best of him, Mokuba didn't know what to expect.

"Now, now, there's no reason to be afraid. Come, follow me," Hobson instructed, leading them into the house. Mokuba took hold of the back of Seto's shirt, looking around the huge mansion with nervous eyes. Everything was so new and different, but the worst part was, there was an eeriness in the air and sent shivers down Mokuba's back. Seto made no signs of weakness or fear; he followed Hobson at an appropriate pace even with his brother clinging to his shirt.

They walked through the long hallways in silence for a long time, no one spoke a word, and everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. Hobson suddenly came to a stop in front of a room, almost causing Seto to run into him, but Seto managed to catch himself just in time. Mokuba, however, walked right into Seto and made a small whimper of pain before rubbing his nose.

"This is where you will be sleeping, Seto," Hobson said, opening the door and revealing the extremely large room. Mokuba's eyes widened with wonder, he hadn't seen a room this big in his entire life. It was nearly three times the size of the room they shared with two other orphans back at their orphanage. Seto barely glanced at the room before turning his attention back to Hobson.

"Where will my brother be sleeping?" Seto asked. Mokuba looked up at his brother, and his grip on Seto's shirt tightened. He had never slept alone in his life, even when their parents were alive they had shared the same room and had always been together. Anxiety welled in Mokuba's mind, and he shut his eyes tight to keep his emotions from taking over.

"Follow me, please," Hobson said, closing the door behind him and starting down the long hallway again. Seto began walking after him, but felt Mokuba was walking at a slower pace, as if to hold him back. Seto wanted to turn around, to try and reassure him with his eyes that everything was going to be okay. But Seto knew that if he did look into Mokuba's face, he wouldn't be able to hide such emotions, so he ignored Mokuba's tiny attempt to stop him by walking faster than Mokuba intended.

When Hobson stopped after many minutes of walking, he turned and faced the brothers. His eyes fell upon Mokuba with curiosity. "What's the matter, Mokuba? Don't you like your new home?" Suspicion was floating in his voice. Mokuba cringed and hid himself behind his brother, concealing his face behind Seto's shoulder. Hobson ignored him and opened the door. Seto and Mokuba followed Hobson into the room that was equally as big as Seto's. "This is where you will be staying, Mokuba. Master Kaiba has certain rules for this household, but that will all be explained later tonight during dinner. Until then, you may stay in here."

Hobson turned and left them alone in the giant room. Once Hobson's steps were no longer heard in the hallway, Mokuba let himself fall to his knees on the ground, his hands still gripping his brother's short.

"Nii-sama…" Mokuba said in a quiet voice, looking up at his brother in hope that he would finally speak to him. "Nii-sama… I'm…" Mokuba felt many things, but he felt he didn't have the strength to say all of them. Seto turned his head, facing Mokuba for the first time in hours. His eyes didn't shine as brightly as they had earlier that day. Mokuba looked up at his brother in total desperation.

"It's going to be okay, Mokuba," Seto said. Mokuba was just happy to hear his voice again after so many hours of silence between them. Mokuba looked down, shaking his head.

"How can you be so sure? How are you always so sure?" Seto placed a hand on Mokuba's shoulder, causing him to look back up into his older brother's face. A small smile was displayed, and his emotions suddenly out in the open for the entire world to see.

"Because we're together… and that's all that matters." Mokuba smiled back, before getting to his feet and standing by his brother.

"You're right… I'm sorry…"

"Boys, it's time for dinner," Seto and Mokuba turned around to find Hobson standing in the doorway. The smile was wiped immediately from Seto's face as he started walking towards the doorway. Mokuba quickly ran to catch up with him. "You will be dining with Master Kaiba tonight, so I'd advise you to be on your best behavior," from behind his oddly colored glasses, he eyed Mokuba, "Especially you, Mokuba."

Mokuba stopped, a little surprised to be called out. "…What did I do?"

"The only reason you're here is because of that little deal your brother made with Master Kaiba. If it weren't for that, you'd still be in that orphanage, searching for a family to actually take you in," Hobson grinned at the thought. He had never cared much for children, and rather liked the thought of the two brothers suffering. After all, Seto had played a dirty trick on his master, but it was nothing that he couldn't use to his advantage. The only thing holding him back had been the additional adoption of Mokuba.

Seto stopped as well, glaring at Hobson. "You shut up," Seto said in a controlled voice, trying to keep himself calm, "That isn't true."

"Oh really?" Hobson turned to face him, "Is that why all the other parents wanted you and not your brother? Face it; the only reason your brother is worth anything is because of you and the fact that you care about him, something that will end up hurting you in the future." Hobson began walking again, leaving Seto confused. What did Hobson mean by that? Was danger going to befall Mokuba if he continued with his plan that he had set for so many years back in the orphanage?

Seto turned around to look at Mokuba one last time, before walking again and catching up to Hobson. Mokuba, in turn, did the same and came up right behind Seto just as the double doors opened revealing a long table and a huge dining room.

"Master Kaiba." Hobson bowed in Gozaburo's presence before stepping to the side and revealing the two brothers. Gozaburo's face was stone cold.

"Good evening Seto, Mokuba, glad you could make it. Why don't you have a seat?" Seto said nothing; the tensions between father and son had already begun to burn the playing field. Seto had always had a bad feeling about him from the start, as well as Mokuba. The only difference between them was the fact that Seto saw this man as a challenge, where as Mokuba saw it as a threat.

Seto and Mokuba sat down at the table side by side. Two servants came up from behind him and placed a plate in front of each boy. They both lifted the metal top of the tray at the same time, revealing a delicious assortment of turkey, corn, and potatoes. Gozaburo already had his meal set out in front of him, as well as a glass of wine in his hands. Seto lifted a fork by his side and directed it towards the plate just as Gozaburo spoke up.

"Not so fast, Seto. We still have much to talk about." Seto looked over at him, and slowly placed the fork back down. "I'm sure you boys have lived a carefree life for the past couple of years, living in that dump of an orphanage… but rest assured, this will be nothing like that horrid place. There are rules in this house that will and shall be followed at all times."

Gozaburo eyed the boys, observing their reactions. Seto looked the same, only reminding him more of Gozaburo. Angry, determined, and unmoving; those were the words that could describe Seto's reaction. This only pleased Gozaburo more; reassuring him that he had made the right choice. But it quickly went away when he saw Mokuba; scared, unsure, and insecure. Mokuba was obviously the weakest link, but Gozaburo knew his part could be used for another purpose.

"The first rule is that both of you will not see each other during the day, you will only see each other every night during dinner." Seto and Mokuba's eyes widened.

"But… why?" Mokuba asked. Gozaburo raised a finger and shook it in Mokuba's direction.

"That brings me to my second rule; no speaking unless you are spoken to." Mokuba shut his mouth and looked down at the table. "The next rule is that you are both to do whatever I ask of you. This is my house, and my word is law. If you disobey any of these rules, punishment will be severe."

"Severe?" Suddenly a small plate smashed against Mokuba's head. Mokuba let out a cry of pain, putting his hand to his head where the plate at collided with his skull. Seto turned from Mokuba back to Gozaburo. His hand was still held out forward from when he had tossed the small plate across the table as if it were a Frisbee right into Mokuba's head. It was a blow Seto hadn't even seen coming.

"This is only a taste of what REAL punishment will be like." Seto looked at him with wide eyes; this man was more of a lunatic than he had first thought. Maybe Mokuba was in real danger of this guy, or maybe this was a bad idea all together. But if he ever wanted to make anything of himself, he would have to do what he said and take what he had to offer. Seto wanted power, and the only way of getting that was through Gozaburo.

Gozaburo looked at Seto, enjoying his look of worry and regret. This made him smile with pleasure. "What's the matter, Seto? You're not going to back down after getting so far, are you?"

"I don't back down from anything."

"That may prove to be your greatest downfall." Mokuba was still rubbing his head, trying to hold back the tears that were fighting to surface. Mokuba wanted so desperately to appear just as strong and in control of Seto, but he hadn't realized it would be so hard. Mokuba bit his tongue and tried to hold back as much as possible.

There were a few moments of silence, before the conversation picked up again, ignoring the past incident as if it never happened.

"Moving on; I suppose I shall tell you what to expect in the next couple of years. Seto, you are my son now, and as my son, you will be educated more efficiently than most other boys. I have hired all the greatest teachers and tutors in the world to come and teach you the core subjects you'll need to survive," Gozaburo stated, "You'll be home schooled from this day forward. Are you a smart boy, Seto?"

"Many people have claimed me to be a prodigy," Seto said with the utmost seriousness. Gozaburo grinned. "Good, but… are you willing to learn at an intense level? Your learning and standards will be much greater and be on a much higher level than most boys and girls. Are you sure you're up for this?" Seto narrowed his eyes.

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes." Gozaburo gave a little chuckle.

"I sure hope so, because you're in my house now." Mokuba didn't like the looks of this situation. He didn't think any of this was a good idea at all, but Seto wasn't about to step down. He was truly ready to take whatever Gozaburo was willing to throw at him. Mokuba felt his head once more where the plate had crashed against his skull and winced. This could only mean bad things.

"Well now… I suppose I shall allow you to eat." Gozaburo rose from the table and began walking towards the door. Seto looked up and watched him. Gozaburo stopped. "Get lots of rest Seto… for your training begins tomorrow at the break of dawn." Gozaburo then left the room.

It didn't mean a thing that Gozaburo was no longer present, because his words and threats still lingered in the air of the room. Seto thought he knew exactly what he was up against, while Mokuba didn't have a clue. But it wouldn't matter, because the sun would set that night on a day that marked the beginning of the end.

They were all in Gozaburo's world now.

* * *

**A/N:** _Hey guys! So, I bet you all think I'm crazy that I'm going to take on yet another multi-chapter since I already have 2 other ongoing stories right now. I couldn't help myself, though. This'll only make things more fun and more challenging! Not to mention give me more freedom (I'm sure that makes no sense, but somehow it did in my head) Anyway, this is yet another story from my past that I rediscovered on my old computer and had an inspiration to publish and continue. I liked it a lot and thought I'd give it a go. I'm not giving up on my other stories at all, so don't think such silly thoughts! Hope you liked the story and thanks for reading!_

_P.S: I've now officially written 80 stories! Can anyone say hell to the yeah?:D_


	2. Two

Lace Kyoko: A new face and a new reviewer! I couldn't be more excited! I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter. I love the 'hell yeah' as well. Thanks so much for the review!

KatrinaKaiba: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you thought I captured Gozaburo well! That made me smile. And I also loved the ending statement about waiting for the next chapter faithfully, that was really sweet. I hope you like the chapter!

AmePiper: Hahaha, yes! I did throw a plate at him! That's my 12 year old mind for ya right there. I can't help but abuse him though, you must understand! I have major problems, don't I? Lol. I'd love to take up that challenge and be the person to really get it done. Thank you! And thanks for the review!

KaelynnD: That one comment about you breaking Mokuba's finger in your story was pretty funny, I laughed. I won't forget my other stories, I promise! Thanks for the review!

WhiteAsukalover: Hahahaha, well put my friend! And thanks for the review!

Rena Redhead: So… I still haven't done my homework that was due Tuesday… lol. And I still have no urge whatsoever to really get that done, which is why I've decided to finish up this chapter and write these review replies instead! I thought you might like that one scene where Seto was seeing Gozaburo as a challenge and Mokuba seeing him as a threat. No joke, I was literally thinking of you liking it a lot. Wow, why did I need to emphasize that? Hahaha, anyways. Thanks for your AMAZING LOVELY AWESOME REVIEW! It was awesome. Just like your face. Love you!

MythCreatorWriter: Hahaha, I love how everyone really took to that and added in "hell to the yeah" in their review. That made me smile. And believe me, I'm just as confused as you are when it comes to that. I have all those story ideas in my coming soon section, but I always keep coming up with new stuff that I never get to any of them. It's kind of funny. Yeah, this story probably will be intense. I have a feeling you'll like it a lot. Thanks a lot for the review!

SereneShadows: Don't worry, we all have to start somewhere with our stories! I mean, with me, I just have a very addictive personality. So when I discovered YGO and my passion for writing… well, I couldn't just be satisfied with one story… lol. Thanks so much for your kind words and review! It was really great to read and I really enjoyed your compliments! And I'd be happy to read your story! Just give me sometime, and a review should be heading your way. Oh man, the hell to the yeah was awesome too:p I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Two

The two brothers ate the rest of their dinner in complete and total silence. The once had-been orphans knew not of what they would expect from the weeks to come, but could predict it wouldn't be good. It wasn't long after they had finished their dinner that Hobson had paid another visit to them.

"Alright, it's time to go to bed now. Chop chop," He said, clapping his hands together a couple times. Mokuba and Seto got up at the same time, almost like robots without even realizing it, and walked towards Hobson. Seto took the lead while Mokuba would follow his brother close from behind. The anxiety was already beginning to return.

"Seto," Hobson declared, grasping Seto's attention, "Don't stay up too late, for your have your first lesson in the next five hours. Your teacher should be flying in from China very soon, and we'd hate to have you falling asleep in his class." Seto said nothing, but nodded. Mokuba was staring at his brother, bewildered. Didn't it bother him that he would only have five hours of sleep before he had to go to a lesson?

But then again, Mokuba thought to himself, Seto hadn't been much of a sleeper to begin with. Every since their parents had died, Seto never really slept. Mokuba earliest memories at night would be of his younger self waking up in the middle of the night from a nightmare or a trip to the bathroom, and finding Seto nearby, awake. It seemed like he never slept. Mokuba wondered how he did it.

Hobson stopped, and Mokuba assumed this was where Seto would be sleeping for the night. He couldn't help but have his heart feel like it was being torn as he looked up at the back of his older brother's head.

"This is your room Seto, remember to get as much sleep as you can," Hobson turned to Mokuba, and Mokuba's lower lip quivered from the evil look on his face, "Come along Mokuba, leave your brother to sleep." Mokuba turned to look back up at his brother's face, which still worse the stone cold mask of no emotions. Mokuba gulped and looked down at the ground.

"Yes sir…" Mokuba mumbled sorrowfully. He began following Hobson, but not before he felt a hand being place on his shoulder. Mokuba stopped almost immediately from the touch, his leg had even stopped in mid air. Mokuba had frozen himself into time.

"Mokuba…"

"Yes, Nii-sama?" Mokuba turned back to look at his brother once more. It was now obvious that it was paining him to let him go off on his own.

"Good night." It wasn't much, but that was all Mokuba needed to hear to confirm that his brother cared, that he would never want Mokuba to leave his side. It was the only thing he needed to hear.

"Good night, Nii-sama." Seto smiled at the sound of his title, his purpose, the role he filled in Mokuba's eyes. He was his older brother, his master, his sworn protector. There was no job or title Seto would've wanted more than to be seen as that figure in his younger brother's eyes.

"Alright, let's move it along," Hobson said, tugging Mokuba down the hallway. Mokuba gave a small wave of goodbye before being turned completely around by Hobson's forceful hands. Seto watched his brother leave until he was completely out of site, and then proceeded to go into his bedroom. It was going to be a long night, and Seto wasn't going to like it. Not one bit.

Back in the outskirts of the Mansion, Hobson was still leading Mokuba all the way down to his room. It was strange, because Mokuba hadn't remembered his room being this far. But when he had asked, Hobson had said something about his master changing the rooms for other purposes. Mokuba remained quiet after that, occasionally looking back down the hallway to see if his brother was there, but always knowing he wouldn't be even when he discovered that he wasn't.

Hobson stopped and opened the door to one room that seemed to be miles away from the room his brother was in. Hobson held out his arm as if he were presenting it to Mokuba like it were a prize.

"And here is your room, Mokuba. Enjoy." Mokuba frowned and walked into the room. The room was huge, possibly the biggest room he could've ever imagined. Mokuba felt like the room itself could've been an entire house; it seemed so big in comparison to him. Mokuba glanced over at the bed against the wall, and his eyes widened even more. He was such a tiny boy, how on earth was he going to fill an entire bed?

The thought left his mind when a new idea replaced it. Mokuba wanted to go and jump on the bed; it was probably the bounciest bed in the world. Mokuba quickly threw off his shoes and started running towards it. He leapt into the air and fell on the bed, bell first. Mokuba felt his body bounce immediately upwards, and laughed with delight as he continued to do it. The bed was built like a trampoline! Mokuba couldn't remembered another time in his life when he had had this much fun.

But the laughing had ceased when Mokuba had jumped too high and had accidentally hit his head on the overhang above the bed. Mokuba hadn't his head hard, but he had hit his head in a particular place. Mokuba stopped jumping and left his body fall back onto the bed. He rubbed his head a bit to sooth the pain, and felt a bump that hadn't been there originally.

"Severe?" Mokuba heard himself say, just before the sound of glass was heard in his flashback. Mokuba rubbed it a bit more, this time out of fear. Gozaburo had thrown a plate at him and hit his head right onto his skull. The thought of Gozaburo wasn't a pleasant one.

"Greetings Mokuba." Mokuba practically threw himself off the bed; he had been so surprised and shocked. Mokuba scrambled to get to his feet to see who the intruder was, when he discovered it to be, none other than Gozaburo Kaiba himself. Mokuba crawled away quickly and swiftly in an attempt to get away.

Gozaburo was standing completely still in the middle of the room, his hands behind his back, and a grin on his face.

"I said, 'Greetings Mokuba'." Gozaburo said with a stern voice. Mokuba made sure to be at least ten feet away before he dared to answer him back.

"Hello," Mokuba said in a quiet voice. Gozaburo began walking closer to him.

"Mokuba… I think we're going to have a problem." Mokuba began inching farther and farther away as Gozaburo began stepping closer and closer to him. Mokuba swallowed hard for the third time in those five seconds, before gathering the courage to answer Gozaburo again.

"We are…?" Mokuba asked nervously. Gozaburo nodded and stopped. Mokuba had been forced to stop too, since now he was standing in the corner of the room. There was no where else to run. The lion had found his prey.

"Sadly, yes."

"But… why?"

"Because you're going to get in the way." There was silence between them. Mokuba wanted to ask how he was going to do that, but by that point he had become too scared. Gozaburo could see this and felt all he could do was laugh. It was a purely wonderful site to see. He continued, "It's obvious that Seto cares about you very much. He tries to hide it, but you'd have to be blind to see the bond you two boys share with one another."

Mokuba didn't know where Gozaburo was going with this. At the same time, he didn't particularly want to know. The more Gozaburo talked, the more Mokuba's body began to quiver with fear.

"It may seem pure and innocent now, but I'm quite positive this will become a problem later on." Mokuba didn't know what to say, in fact, he wasn't even fully sure what Gozaburo meant. How was his bond with Seto going to get in the way? And if it did… what did it get in the way of? Mokuba was very confused, and was tempted to ask for himself, but then he remembered the plate crashing against his skull. Unconsciously, Mokuba rubbed the bump on his head.

"So… in order to keep things as planned, I'm going to need you to stay away from your brother as much as possible." Then came a response Mokuba simply could not hold back.

"What?" Mokuba said, with more of an attitude then he would've wanted in his tone of voice. Mokuba immediately regretted it by the look on Gozaburo's face. Mokuba could suddenly tell that this man meant business, and that he wasn't afraid to hurt Mokuba again, if necessary. Mokuba cringed at the thought.

"I said; Stay away from Seto. He's going to have a lot of work to do now that he's under my wing, and he doesn't need his little 'kid brother' distracting him from his duties. He's a Kaiba now; he has a name to live up to. So leave him alone or believe me… there will be even more _severe_ consequences," Gozaburo paused for a moment, before turning his back and walking towards the door, "That is all. Good night."

Mokuba stood there, his body still quivering. But he couldn't just stand there, and he couldn't just let the things Gozaburo had said go without a response. Mokuba didn't know where he was getting all this courage from to speak his mind, but it would probably be the one thing that would bring him down. Or at least, beat him down under the hard fist of Gozaburo.

"I'm a Kaiba, too," Mokuba said boldly, causing Gozaburo to stop just before he was about to walk out the door. The door knob was still in his hands; his whole body had come to a complete stop.

"No, you're not." There was silence. "You're nothing more than an orphan that no one wanted, and a pawn in a bet that I, unfortunately, lost. Seto is going to be the next heir to the Kaiba Corporation throne, and you are nothing. Do not think otherwise." Gozaburo left the room. Mokuba didn't know how to feel about the words he had just heard. He didn't know what to make of them.

Was Mokuba supposed to be upset? Was he supposed to care what Gozaburo thought of him? He knew Seto didn't feel the same way, he almost knew it instinctively. But still… to be told he was worthless by someone else, it hurt. It was bound to hurt his feelings. Or at least that was how Mokuba reasoned it to himself when he found tears forming in his eyes.

Mokuba let his body slide to the ground and sat there for a while, possibly even hours. It would be a while more before he would get up and climb into bed, Gozaburo's words still floating around in his head. Gozaburo said he was nothing… but Mokuba knew that wasn't true. He was something, not only that, but he was something to Seto. Another signal that let him know he wasn't all that worthless was the fact that Gozaburo was even talking to him, that he was warning him and forbidding him to be near Seto.

But Mokuba knew, maybe even better than he wanted to know, that it wasn't a good sign. Gozaburo had made a threat towards him, and Mokuba would suffer if he didn't comply.

It was going to be a long night before Mokuba could find the courage to finally fall asleep that night.

* * *

Seto wasn't much of a sleeper, and Seto himself had been aware of that for quite some time. But, if need be, Seto did have the power to make his body fall asleep. His body would comply, especially for a specific purpose or event. But Seto was finding that the forced sleep wasn't turning on as easily as Seto would've wished.

Seto turned onto his side and pulled the covers up Andover his shoulder. His eyes glanced all across the room, the light was off but his eyes had already adjusted to the darkness that he could see his room pretty clearly. Most of the room was occupied by boxes of his things that he still hadn't had the chance to unpack. Besides the boxes, his room was rather big and empty.

Seto sighed and turned again, deciding his mind would be a better place to wander about. He thought about the events that had happened earlier that day, and thought back to his younger brother. Seto knew he wouldn't be seeing Mokuba as often anymore now that they had moved into the Kaiba Mansion, but all of this was for his own good, so Seto had to try and keep himself from falling back into old habits. He had to keep his eye on the prize and focus on training only.

There was a click and a creak as the bedroom door was being opened. Seto's body became completely still and he closed his eyes, pretending to sleep. A man, a rather tall man at that, was beginning to walk towards his bed. Seto stayed perfectly still, even though his mind was racing. Should he run? Or was someone simply checking up on him? In this new home, Seto didn't know what to expect.

Seto braced himself for the worst as the body present in the room stopped right next to his bed. A hand came out of no where was and rested on Seto's forehead/head. The hand was big and cold as ice; it almost sent a shiver down his spine from the mere touch. Then Seto realized who it was that was in his room with a hand on his head.

"Sleep Seto. You're going to need all the sleep you can get in time." The hand left, as well as the man himself. The door clicked once it was closed all the way, and all was silent once more. Seto's heart was racing, despite the fact that he needed the sleep he felt he could never grasp. And when he fell asleep, nightmares came and went. It was the start of a new era, a black beginning.

Darkness.

* * *

**A/N:** _Hey guys! I don't know why I ended this chapter on the note of darkness, but it just seemed like the right word to say after that last sentence. But maybe that's just me. So what did you think!? This chapter wasn't pulled from one of my old files, so this was all basically present-day me writing this to you. Is it any different? I don't know, maybe it's not and I'm just lying to myself. Anyhow, more is on the way! I'm so excited, I might actually pee my pants! Although not literally… sort of. Hahaha, thanks for reading!_

_P.S: I loved all the hell yeahs I got in all of your reviews. Something tells me I'm going to have a lot of fun with this reading crowd I'd got for this story._


	3. Three

KatrinaKaiba: Thanks for the review! I do try my best to keep that creep in character. I hope you weren't faithfully waiting for too long! Sorry about that! Enjoy the chapter.

Lace Kyoko: I wasn't so sure about ending it with darkness, but I'm glad you liked it! I actually laughed at some of your comments where you kept thinking I was going to have Gozaburo rape him; that was somewhat hilarious. But no, don't worry. There shall be no rape scenes. Just lots of child abuse and violence. Hahaha, thanks for the review!

SereneShadows: No prob! Writing back to my wonderful reviewers is what I do best! Everyone seems to love how I portrayed Gozaburo… it makes me feel all special inside:3 Like I'm really doing some good with this story! Awesome. I'm glad I can inspire equally awesome writing powers! Thanks for the review!

MythCreatorWriter: Thanks! I'm really happy with where all this is going too. Although I'm not so happy with this chapter. But we'll see. I don't know, I figure we all win some and lose some, ney? And I do have to say, there might be some side effects of depression as we go further along in the story, not going to lie! Hahaha, but anyhow, thanks again for your review!

Journey maker: Hey! It's you! Haven't heard from you in a bit, good to see you're following up on another one of my epic tales! Thanks for the reviews!

WhiteAsukalover: True that, my friend. Gozaburo is truly a spawn of the devil, if I do say so myself. Thanks for the review!

AmePiper: Gosh, so many reviewers, so little time! Dude, Mokuba is ALWAYS likeable, what are you talking about? He's like the most likeable thing since Babe! Hahaha, I made a funny right there. I tried making this chapter more centered around Seto's POV, but I don't know how well it turned out. I'm not very confident about this chapter, but I hope to hear some good feedback from you. You usually know if I'm doing well or not:] Yeah, the plate thing was from my younger years, so you would have to excuse that. Although it just goes to show what a mental mess I was back then, am I right? Hahahaha. Well, anyhow, I better hit the road. But hey, I SUPER loved your review and I want to hear all that you have to say about this chapter! Make me feel warm and fuzzy inside!(or tell me how I fail, whichever you'd like to go with)

Rena Redhead: I'm sure you're seething with hatred right now on account of me updating… AGAIN. I can't help it. It's what I do. It's the only thing I DREAM about during the day. In fact, sometimes it's the only thing that gets me through the day. Like today in math, all I could think about was how much I wanted to finish the next chapter of Consequences(which I did, but I'm holding back on updating, lol) But yeah. My favorite scene was definitely the one with Gozaburo and Mokuba, I liked it a lot. Thank you random inspirations with great ideas, they serve my stories well! I really don't feel swell about this chapter, but maybe you can find some cleverness in it like you always do and make me feel better about it. Will you? Will you please? It would mean the WORLD to me. Hahahaha, thanks again for the review! Enjoy the chapter!

Three

His eyes were drooping, but his attention remained strong. Class had been going one for about two hours now, and was expected to go on for another two hours more. After all, Seto's teacher, Mr. Horigato, would only be in the country for a day or so before leaving once again. All of Seto's teachers had been hand selected from all over the world in order to try and give Seto the most fulfilling and the most well rounded of an education. Seto didn't mind so much, but the odd work hours were a bit hard on his body to handle and he couldn't say he wasn't happy when it was finally over with.

"…And that concludes class for today," Mr. Horigato stated. Seto gave a quiet sigh of relief. "Make sure to do all your practice work sheets and review your lessons before Friday when I am expected to see you again." Seto merely nodded as he continued to gather his papers. Mr. Horigato already had his brief case in hand and was heading towards the door when another figure entered the room.

"Oh, pardon me, Sir, didn't see you there," Mr. Horigato said, before gracefully passing the man.

"No problem, see you on Friday." Mr. Horigato nodded and left the room. The man turned his attention back to the main reason he had entered the room in the first place; Seto. The boy still had his back turned to the man as he was finishing up gathering all his papers and work books from the previous lesson. "How was it?" The man asked, plain and simple. Seto stopped shuffling his papers around.

"Nothing I can't handle," Seto said confidently. Gozaburo grinned and walked over to the boy.

"You're sure of that?" Gozaburo asked, eyeing the boy. Seto didn't hesitate with his answer.

"I'm positive of that."

"Good." Seto zipped up his back pack and swung it over his shoulder. His eyes avoided any direction in or near Gozaburo's pathway. He didn't want his step father to see how tired he was and he most certainly didn't want him to get the idea that he couldn't deal with the long lessons or the odd hours that they occurred in. "Hobson is waiting outside. He'll take you to your room."

Seto said nothing, even though he was confused as to why he would need a guide to his own room. Although Seto did suppose it had only been a couple hours since he had moved in, there could've been a possibility he might've forgotten. But something told Seto that wasn't exactly the case.

As Gozaburo had said, Hobson had been waiting outside the doorway and directed Seto to follow him. Seto speechlessly complied and followed the hunched over little man down the long hallways of the Kaiba Mansion. Seto looked up and along the walls. There were no paintings, no pictures, nothing on the walls except the pain. It gave the house an even more hallow and empty feeling to it.

"When is my next lesson?" Seto asked, looking up at Hobson.

"I am not aware of that information as of yet. For now, you can just rest." Resting sounded like a good idea after four hours of so much work. Seto wasn't even sure how a ten year old was supposed to even be able to retain that much information in such a long and dreadful period of time. But Seto wouldn't complain or make it even appear that it were true. Seto became more alert when he heard another presence in the hallway.

Seto stopped and looked down a hallway that was perpendicular to the one they had been walking down. Seto could've sworn he could see someone walking down the hallway, but there was barely any lighting to see who it was. Seto squinted his eyes a bit and walked a little closer to find that it was Mokuba, sleep walking.

"Mokuba?" Seto asked, walking towards his younger brother that was slowly walking down the hallway towards him, his hand leaning against the edge of the hallway for support.

"Seto, come here this instant. You are to return to your room at this hour, come along," Hobson beckoned, but to no prevail. In most cases, Seto would've listened to him. But after all that learning and all that intense math study from just a few minutes before, it had almost made him forget about his brother. Not to mention how cute the boy could be and how he reminded Seto of his mission; the reason they had come here in the first place.

Seto held out his arms to the still asleep Mokuba and wrapped them around him. Mokuba remained asleep, but also let the strength in his legs give out which allowed him to fully fall into his brother's arms. A small smile appeared on Seto's face as he looked down at his sleeping brother, whom Seto was sure was still unaware of his own location or what he was even doing at the time.

"Seto, I highly recommend that you follow me. I've called someone to come and take your brother back to his room already, now let's go." Seto turned back towards Hobson.

"But Hobson, can't we just take him back to his room? I'd just like to be sure he makes it back into bed," Seto looked down, "It's just a little habit of mine I like to keep occasionally." Hobson didn't look like he cared or was even concerned with this fact.

"I'm sorry Seto, but Master Kaiba has requested that you be in your room at this hour, and I don't have the power to change his orders." Two goons appeared in the hallway when Seto turned his head back towards his brother. They were standing upright, and looked identical to one another.

"We'll take the kid from here," One of them said robotically. They both inched forward at the same time with their arms drawn out towards Mokuba's small frame. Seto had the powerful urge to retaliate, to pull back, or maybe even start sprinting down the perpendicular hallway and make a run for it. But Seto also knew it would do him no good in the long run, so he would have to overcome his powerful urge and give in.

"Yes sir," Seto said in defeat, holding out his brother to one of the goons. Mokuba was taken from his arms and into the arms of one of Gozaburo's followers. They said nothing more and started walking away into the darkness. Seto was left alone again with his thoughts and feelings… as well as Hobson.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's go to your room," Seto said nothing and followed him. Seto stared at the ground for the rest of the walk to his room. His mind was frazzled and his heart a bit swollen from what had happened. Seto didn't like the idea of defeat, and he didn't like putting his brother in the arms of another man. Not after what his father had done.

When Mokuba had been born five years ago, Seto's father had taken the small boy into his arms. A person, a woman, had already died in that same room. And what was his father left with to replace the love of his life? This; the son his very soul mate had given birth to and died for. The moment the boy was in his arms, he had detached himself completely from being the boy's father figure. He had revoked all responsibility from himself, leaving the job to anyone who was willing to take it.

Seto was the one who would ultimately take that job of fathering that child. In some ways, it was the very reason he was even living in the Kaiba household, walking back from one of the most rigorous schooling sessions he had ever experienced in his life. Mokuba was the reason he was willing to risk everything.

And as Seto lay in bed after preparing himself for sleep, that was all he could really think about. His brother… he would do anything for his younger brother, even if it meant going through all of this. Seto rolled onto his side. The bed beneath him was cold and unknown. The room was pitch black, not a light to be seen anywhere. Seto sat up and reached for the window up above him and beside his bed. He pulled up the shades, hoping that the moon's light would comfort him.

But the clouds prevented from anything like that. There were no stars in the sky either. Seto had never felt so alone. When he went back to lay down in his bed, he pondered whether or not it was true that Mokuba was still in the same house with him. The mansion was so big, empty enough to make him feel like he was living on another planet. But alas… the thought of Mokuba; and just thinking of his name even in the wake of complete darkness… it was comforting to him. Seto would stay up many hours into the night, with sweet and loving thoughts of his brother until sleep had finally taken him.

The sleep would only last a short period of time, because at the crack of dawn, he was awakened by none other than Hobson.

"Master Kaiba, good morning," The little toad-like man said after flicking on the light switch. Seto immediately flinched and buried himself within the bundle of blankets that lay on top of him. He grunted with discomfort and remained hidden from the light. Hobson walked over to the boy's bed side and shook him lightly. "You must be quick with waking up my young master; your lesson will begin soon." Seto flipped down the blankets.

"Lesson?" Seto retreated under the blankets once again for a moment after discovering how bright the light was, but then re-emerges and covered his eyes. He looked over at the clock by his bed. It read 5 a.m. Seto's eyes widened. "Why in the world do I have a lesson at five in the morning?" Seto asked.

"Your physics teacher from Russia has already arrived by plane. Now I suggest you get ready or Master Kaiba will be quite furious." Hobson left the room after that and closed the door behind him. Seto sighed and let his head hang for a moment, feeling so absolutely exhausted. He had stayed up way too late last night. Doing what? Seto couldn't even remember what had kept him awake, he was so tired.

Seto took the longest time putting on his clothes. It seemed like all the things that would seem so easy and natural were ten times harder with the loss of sleep. Seto could barely stand on one foot while putting on his pants. Seto ruffled his hair a bit after putting on his clothes, treading over to the bathroom. He turned on the water and splashed his face a bunch of times. The water was cold, but his face was still asleep.

Seto popped his head out of the bathroom and looked around. No sign of Hobson. Seto gave a tired smile of relief. He was happy Hobson wasn't following him right now. Seto knew he was supposed to report to the dining room right away for breakfast, but Seto couldn't help the need to get outside. The cool breeze would probably be enough to wake Seto from his sleepiness. A whip of fresh air in the morning was all he needed most days.

Seto snuck down stairs in the quietest of ways. With every step he took down the stairway, his eyes would dart from side to side. It appeared as though no one was around, and no one could hear him. Of course, Seto wouldn't have expected them to. After all, it was five in the morning.

Seto's pace down the steps quickened with every passing minute, until he had finally made it to the end. With careful movement, he made it down the hallway, along the wall, and over to the front door. Seto stared at the large door. He had never quite noticed how big it was in comparison to him. No matter, Seto would reach out for the door to try and open it…

"NOT so fast," Just as Seto's hand had touched the door knob; he had felt a jolting pain from his back. His body was thrust forward because of it and slammed into the wooden door in front of him. He was pinned there for a moment or so before the jabbing pain was removed and he was forced to turn around. Seto looked up to see Gozaburo, glaring down at him.

"Father, I-" A large slap went across Seto's face. Seto felt his body freeze up, like it had been paralyzed with the jaw breaking blow to his chin. Seto hadn't expected such a strong blow from a man his age. Gozaburo was definitely stronger than he appeared.

"You were told to report to the dining room when you were done getting dressed. What were you trying to do? Run away?" Seto began shaking his head.

"No… no, of course not! I was just-"

"Do you know what would happen if you were to run away?" Seto opened his mouth to speak, only to greet another pound to his face. "Do you?" Seto tried to back away from the man, one hand on his cheek. His body was beginning to quiver uncontrollably in fear. This man was crazy… Gozaburo Kaiba was a mad man!

Seto spotted Gozaburo's hand shot out once more towards him, and this time he flinched in preparation for another attack. Instead, the hand went towards his shirt, grabbing something around his neck. Seto's body was lifted a little ways off the ground as Gozaburo held him up by the collar.

"Now you listen to me, Kid. You'll do as I say, or so help me… You won't be the only one getting a pounding." Seto knew who Gozaburo was referring to, and he stopped resisting immediately. Seto let his head hang in defeat.

"Yes sir. Whatever you say." Gozaburo grinned and placed the boy back down onto his feet.

"Good." Seto kept his eyes focused on the ground. He didn't want to look up directly into Gozaburo's face. There was something different about this man. Something that frightened Seto more than he had thought he would be frightened. It had become clear that Gozaburo would do anything to keep order and discipline within his house. And Seto was beginning to understand that if he didn't comply with Gozaburo's liking, someone was going to have to take the beating for it.

In a situation like this, pain was inevitable.

* * *

**A/N:** _Hey guys! Long time, no update, right? Sorry about that! But before I go into any useless details, I do want to say I'm sorry this chapter was a bit fail in some cases. I assure you, though, that the next few chapters will be much better and much more thought provoking! It'll be grand, I'm sure! Well, anyhow, you've all been very great supporters and I know this story will turn out fantastically! Thanks so much for reading! _


	4. Four

MythCreatorWriter: Yeah, I can't help myself. I mean, I think the second chapter of this story was just amazing. I mean, that was just a really good chapter. So it kind of makes everything else look like crap unless I come up with another brilliant scene like I did in chapter 2. I don't know about you, but Gozaburo telling Mokuba he wasn't a Kaiba and that basically he was worthless, I thought that was good. But maybe that's just me. My goal is pretty much to make them suffer. Although I kind of feel like my writing is a lot like my friend's Rena Redhead's stories, cause she has a lot of stories based around making a character suffer and I feel significantly inferior to her since she REALLY knows how to make them suffer. She calls them torture sequences, and her ideas make child abuse look boring and repetitive, hahaha. Anyhow, thanks for the review!

Lace Kyoko: Apparently Mokuba does sleep walk… hahaha, I don't even know. A lot of my stories are condensed of ideas that come to me on the spot/as I'm writing them. Only crucial scenes that are important to the plot are ever planned. Everything else is me having fun or just doing my own thing (just a random fact about my writing I felt like throwing in here.) I wrote a story where Seto's parents came back and we find out they weren't dead to begin with. I forget what the explanation was; I wrote it a very long time ago. The only thing I can remember was that it had a pretty good ending. Yeah, I don't think Gozaburo would subject himself to raping a child either. But anyhow, thanks for the review!

WhiteAsukalover: Thanks for the review! I think I've been doing a good job of updating, don't you agree? I just feel bad for some of my fans that I know love reading my stuff and reviewing, but I'm simply too anxious to wait for them. I'm sure they hate me for itx.x

KatrinaKaiba: Thank you! You're very kind. Yeah, sorry about all those updates to consequences. If you were reading the story, you might be happy about those updates too. I'm at this part in the story where it's just starting to get SUPER AWESOME, so I really couldn't help myself. Also I was re-thinking your phrase of waiting for the next chapter faithfully, and it's been making me ponder what other stories of mine you've reviewed to. I should look that up sometime. Anyway, thanks again for the review!

SereneShadows: Little scenes like that make my heart whole, I have to admit. It's what keep the fluff going through-out all the physical abuse that goes on otherwise. Lol. Thanks for the review and enjoy the chapter!

Four

Mokuba awoke from his nap with a terrible feeling in his stomach. The room looked like it was spinning when Mokuba looked around the room. Mokuba rolled onto his side and suddenly the world seemed like it was bouncing up and down. Mokuba groaned and felt his head. It felt like there was some kind of war going on in his brain and his skull might burst. Mokuba pushed himself up and rubbed his temples. Mokuba didn't feel good at all.

Still, he felt he had to move forward with his routine. Mokuba got up from his bed, went to the bathroom, and went to go get dressed. When he did, he discovered he was already in his clothes. Mokuba couldn't even remember when he had collapsed onto his bed and fallen asleep. How long had he been asleep for? Mokuba smooth his hair so that it looked decent and walked out of the room. He hadn't gone far before leaning against the wall in the hallway with one arm and looking around.

"Nii-sama…?" Mokuba said with a quiet voice. His stomach took another turn for the worst and Mokuba held his stomach tightly. He felt like he was going to throw up. Mokuba let his body slide to the ground and continued to look around for any sign of his brother. "Nii-sama…" Mokuba whimpered in pain. He wished his brother was here to help him, Seto always knew what to do. Seto had nursed him back to help plenty of times, and Seto's mere presence always seemed to make Mokuba feel better in some way.

"Mokuba…" Mokuba heard a voice. Mokuba smiled; his eyes half opened. His brother was here to help him! Mokuba turned his head and saw Hobson standing in front of him, "Mokuba, it's about time you woke up. It's time for dinner." Mokuba frowned.

"But… I…" Hobson grabbed Mokuba's arm and forcefully pulled him to his feet.

"Master Kaiba won't hear any of it. He expects you to be at the dinner table at 7 o'clock and not any later." Mokuba could barely see where he was going as Hobson pulled him along towards the dining room. Everything continued to spin; only making Mokuba's sickness worse. His body began to shiver, while his head started to boil. Mokuba wanted to see his brother so bad. His brother would be able to help him. Seto always did.

"Hobson, what took you?" Mokuba heard another voice asked. He looked up to see Gozaburo seated at the head of the table that they had eaten at the night before. Mokuba blinked and shifted his eyes to look over at Seto. He was already properly seated as well; the expression on his face looked identical to Gozaburo's.

"My apologies Sir, but it was young Mokuba here that caused me to be late." Gozaburo's angry eyes drifted over to Mokuba. He shuddered when Gozaburo glanced at him. Although he felt it was not from his gaze, but the second turn in his stomach. Mokuba put his hand to his head and looked down.

"Well, sit the boy down so we can begin." Hobson nodded and dragged the boy forward and over to his seat. Mokuba climbed onto his seat with much difficulty, barely feeling the strength to climb up there himself. Gozaburo was beginning to grow rather annoyed by Mokuba's slowness. Seto was staring at his brother with an odd eye.

"Mokuba… are you alright?" Mokuba looked up at his brother for a split second before looking away and holding his mouth. He turned his head and proceeded to throw up over the side of his chair. Gozaburo rose from the table in disgust.

"Get him OUT of here!" Gozaburo commanded. Hobson moved quickly over to where Mokuba was and began to pull him out of the chair. Seto leapt out of his own seat and over to his brother's side. Seto pushed Hobson away and helped Mokuba down in a gentle manner.

"Mokuba, its okay… you're going to be okay, I'm right here…" Seto whispered softly to his brother, holding the small boy in his arms. Hobson was standing off to the side and glaring at Seto, Gozaburo remained standing and was about to restore order.

"Seto, I command you to sit back down and finish your meal." Seto looked towards his step father. He knew exactly what he wanted to say to him, but he knew it wouldn't be proper to say. Seto wanted to appear professional and did want to appeal to Gozaburo, but with his brother in pain, he found it hard to see his priorities straight.

"Please Sir, let me help him back to his room."

"I will have no such thing."

"What will it cost you to just let me bring him back to his room?"

"I have people that can do that for me, now sit back down." Seto knew that he needed Gozaburo's money and guidance to make it to the top. His mission was clear in his mind. But with Mokuba in trouble, his vision had become fuzzy. Seto didn't want to do what he was about to do, but he had to.

"No." Gozaburo shifted away from the table, suddenly all had become quiet between both competitors, even with Mokuba's moans of pain in the back ground.

"What did you say?" Gozaburo asked very slowly. Seto had to choose his next words carefully for everything to turn out okay. But in a position like this, Seto couldn't fight his natural urge to fight back.

"I said no." For an old man, Gozaburo was quick on his feet. In no time at all, her had ran all the way down to the other end of the table and launched a punch right into Seto's gut. A shot of pain exploded in his stomach, and then shot out through the rest of his body like an echo in a large room. Gozaburo remained still, his fist still in Seto's gut, as the boy lurched forward, eyes wide. He expected Seto to fall backwards, but instead, he took a few steps back and was still standing.

"Please let me help him," Seto said, one eye was twitching from the pain; and his hands over his stomach. Seto looked up into Gozaburo's face desperately, hoping the man would be able to open up his heart enough to let him do this one thing. Gozaburo stared back at him with no real desire to help Mokuba in any way possible, but he was interested in Seto's display he had put on.

"You can barely stand on your own two feet."

"My brother needs me, please." Gozaburo raised his eyebrows.

"Alright, you may go." Seto walked over to his brother and took his into his arms. He immediately had switched back into parental figure, whispering assuring things to his brother as he carried him out of the room. Gozaburo calmly watched him leave. Hobson stood still, staring at his boss.

"Master Kaiba… why would you…?"

"I think we can use this to our advantage. Maybe that Mokuba boy is useful after all," Gozaburo turned to Hobson, "Go on and assist Seto in whatever he needs. Cancel his lesson for tonight and re-schedule it for tomorrow. I'm sure he'll want to help his brother out more than he'll want to do any work." Hobson was a little confusion by his boss's tactics, but he knew better than to question his motives before they had become clear.

"Yes Sir," He said obediently before leaving the room. Gozaburo needed to be on his own for a bit. As a CEO of a weaponry company, an evasive plan of action always needed to be made before an attack. Sometimes a plan needed to be changed, a few assignments redone, but that never stopped a commander from delivering the final blow. Gozaburo would have to change his ways if he was going to have the heir he needed.

* * *

Seto sat by his brother's bed. Mokuba had already been promptly put up against a pillow, a bucket by his bed, water for him to drink, and medicine to cool down his fever. Seto had treated his brother before for this, and he knew all the procedures necessary to get his brother better. It would only take a day or two for his brother to feel completely fine again if Seto would be allowed to take care of him.

"How are you feeling now?" Seto asked, after brining his brother another blanket. Mokuba opened one eye tiredly and looked up at his brother.

"I don't want to throw up… but my head still feels like it's going to explode." Seto put his hand on his brother's forehead.

"Yeah, your fever feels a bit high. I might have to get you a moist cloth to get rid of that feeling." Mokuba exhaled when his brother's hand touched his head. Mokuba closed his eyes and smiled.

"Nii-sama, your hand is so cold. It feels nice…" Seto chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, the circulation in my body is shot… I should probably exercise more to change that."

"Nii-sama, why did you talk to him like that?" Seto looked down at Mokuba, his hand still on his little brother's forehead.

"Who?"

"Gozaburo…" Seto looked away.

"Oh." They had only been living there for a couple weeks now, but already Seto associated Gozaburo's name with endless work and studying. It was like how an old employee had a hard time going to a store they use to work at, because they always felt the displeasure of going to work. Gozaburo had a similar effect. "Well, you needed my help. I couldn't just stand there and let their goons walk off with you."

"He hurt you…"

"It was barely a punch," Mokuba re-opened his eyes and stared up at his brother. Mokuba could probably guess that his brother was still in pain from that last blow Gozaburo had thrown at him only a few moments ago, but his face looked totally relaxed. Mokuba was surprised at how pure will was enough to numb any external pain he would receive. It was one of the reasons Mokuba believed his brother had to be a super hero from outer space.

"You're crazy," Mokuba said, giving a little giggle. Seto smiled and removed his hand.

"Let me get you a wash cloth to put on your head. You stay there and rest, okay?" Mokuba nodded and Seto turned away. He walked out of the room and closed the door.

"How is he?" Seto jumped upon hearing a sudden voice. He looked up to see Hobson standing across the hall in front of the door. Seto gave a sigh of relief and released his hand from the knob.

"He'll be fine in a day or two as long as he's properly taken care of," Seto said with relief of as well. Hobson's eyes shifted down to Seto's stomach.

"And how are you doing?" Seto looked down at his stomach as well. The pain had suddenly become apparent and he pulled up his shirt. There was a huge black bruise already beginning to form right in the middle of his stomach. Seto pulled his shirt back down, slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable with Hobson watching him. Seto looked away.

"…I'll be okay, it's just a bruise." Hobson wanted to say something contrary, but held back. Seto was going to have to learn this lesson the hard way, and he knew that was what Gozaburo intended. Hobson had a feeling that Gozaburo was going to go all out with training this kid. He wouldn't hold back anything. Sometimes even Hobson felt there was a line of what was too cruel.

"Alright then," Hobson said simply. "I came here to tell you that Master Kaiba has requested to meet with you in his office."

"I need to get Mokuba wet cloth first, could I do that and then go to his office?" Hobson shrugged.

"Whatever must be done."

"Thanks." Seto nodded Hobson goodbye then wandered off to the bathroom. He grabbed a wash cloth from one of the drawers and turned on the water. He would wait for it to get cold and then rinse the cloth. Seto looked up as he did so into the mirror. It was probably the first time he had looked at himself, REALLY looked at himself since they had moved in the Kaiba mansion.

Seto's face had already aged so much. His face had become narrower, and the skin on his face clung so tightly to his bones. There were deep, deep circles under his eyes that looked like they would never fade away, even with a few good nights sleeps. But what had really changed was the color of his eyes. His eyes were dull looking, and instead of a bright baby blue color, they had changed to a darker icy blue color.

Seto switched off the water and squeezed out the excess water before walking back. Seto pressed his hands against his face. His face was as drained as it had looked in the mirror. When he touched his cheek, he could immediately feel his cheek bone. Seto shook his head and tried to put it out of his head as he walked into his brother's room.

Seto froze up right as he walked in when he saw Gozaburo standing by Mokuba's bed, his hand resting on the boy's head and entangled in his hair.

"What--"

"Shhhh… you wouldn't want to wake up Mokuba, would you?" Seto squeezed his hands into fists. Gozaburo had given him permission to talk care of Mokuba without assistance. What was Gozaburo doing here then?

"I was going to see you right after I gave Mokuba a wet cloth. I was going to do as you had asked." Gozaburo looked away and back down at Mokuba. Mokuba's eyes were closed and he appeared to be in deep sleep. Seto straightened his back and tried to look professional. He had learned that all relations with Gozaburo were to be from a professional stand point. Even the fact that Gozaburo was his step father was to be seen as a business relationship.

"I know you were Seto, you're a very obedient child after all…" Gozaburo said quietly, continuing with his petting motions on Mokuba's head. Seto was starting to become uncomfortable and anxious. He wanted Gozaburo AWAY from Mokuba. From his experiences, he had learned that Gozaburo didn't give a damn about Mokuba to begin with so any act of concern from Gozaburo was most likely false.

"Then what's the problem?" Gozaburo stopped what he had been doing and pulled back his hand, all the while keep his eyes focused on Seto. He took one step forward away from Mokuba and over to Seto. His face became serious. Mokuba could be heard turning over onto his side in his bed from behind Gozaburo. His back was facing Seto.

"I'm afraid that Mokuba is the problem."

* * *

**A/N:** _OH EM GEEEEEEE! Here we go again! Or… well, not really… cause this hasn't happened before… but still! We're moving on with the plot! Which is always a plus. This story… I don't know. I like this story a lot, but I'm not very confident of where it should go. I have various things I want to happen, but I don't know in what sequence they should be in. And then random scenes like Mokuba throwing up happen and suddenly things are about to get ugly. Oh well:] That makes the writing all the more fun in my opinion. Thanks for reading and I hope everyone had a cool Valentine's Day!_


	5. Five

WhiteAsukalover: I know, the poor kid! Sometimes I feel bad for him… but then I remember that I'm the one that tortured him! Ha ha! Anyhow, thanks for the review!

MythCreatorWriter: Brother angst and brother fluff is what I do best, is it not? Lol. Yeah for plaguing my readers with dizziness! Hahaha, I'm kidding. I'm really trying my best to focus more on details in my stories rather than plot development because I know I tend to put more events into my stories than just sheer description, so I'm trying to break out of that. And I'll try to start seeing that gold, I promise! Thanks for the review! Enjoy!

SereneShadows: Thank you for the compliment! You're quite the awesome one yourself :] It's okay to say you love a chapter several times, believe me, the chapter and I appreciate it. I'd like to think that after so many years of writing for them, that I feel like I know these characters inside and out. I think there's only one other person who probably knows them way better, but he's such a good writer, he's put in another level! Anyhow, sorry for the shortness of updates, hopefully you can get your fill from this! Thanks for the review!

KatrinaKaiba: I think 'Poor Mokuba' is a phrase EVERYONE will be saying through-out this whole story. I mean, you gotta feel bad for the kid. He always seems to get the short end of the stick. Oh, and just on a random note, whenever I update Consequences and try my hardest to write Severance(with great difficulty, explanation for that in the author's note) I ALWAYS think of you. Just cause I always think, 'Oh man, she's waiting faithfully for my next chapter and I'M KILLING WHAT FAITH SHE HAS IN HUMANITY, AHHHHHo *terrible person death*' So, yeah, sorry for updating Consequences so much instead of this bundle of joy. I don't recall another story you've reviewed, but I feel like there is. At some point I'll check. Hahaha, thanks for the review! Enjoy!

AmePiper: Oh my Amey dearest. You always apologize and say you have been busy, but don't you know that there is not apology that is needed for LOVE? Okay, that was a bit random… I can't seem to write messages to you correctly today, I'm truly sorry for that! Seto abuse is the best, neh? I didn't quite understand the rebel statement, but to some degree I think I did… I just don't think I know how to respond to it well. Agh, my brain is truly dead today. I'm sorry again! I hope you shall enjoy the chapter and take it as a token of apology from me. Thanks for the review, and I hope you feel better soon!

Lace Kyoko: OH MY GOSH, okay, so this is going to be SO random, but when I was 8, I got super sick and threw up all night and pretty much fell asleep on the bathroom floor and it was just an AWFUL EXPERIENCE. Since then, I had been dreadfully fearful of throwing up, but then a year or so later, I did and it was like "Oh… that wasn't so bad!" So then my fear died… sort of. I mean, throwing up still sucks, I just run away when I feel it coming. OKAY, that was seriously the most random thing ever. MY B!o Teehee, hide and seek with Gozaburo… oh man, that would end poorly. And MY GOD, did you just give me an idea!!! *evil grin* I hope you know that you've just done a very bad thing Lace… VERY bad. Hahahaha. Anyways, thank you! I was happy to hear that you think I'm descriptive but not too descriptive. Too descriptive makes me want to kill myself, but I always worry I'm not descriptive enough. I feel like this story can also be seen as my 'challenge story' since I'm trying to do more description and build up and such. Good to see that it's working! Anyhow, I must be off, because I'm sure I've carried this on for much too long and you much want to read the next chapter. Thanks again for the review and ENJOY!:D

Five

His chest tightened. His eyes narrowed. His breath became shallow. Seto didn't know what to expect, but any confrontation with Gozaburo would result like this. Seto felt the air grew thin. He was almost afraid to question what Gozaburo meant by that, but he did… he had to.

"What do you mean?" Seto tried to say as normally as possible. Gozaburo put his arms behind his back and looked down on Seto.

"Seto, do you recall what happened when I commanded you to sit back down during dinner a couple hours ago?" Seto gulped again, he could feel his throat tightening.

"I… I refused."

"And after that?" Seto bit his lip.

"You… punched me in the stomach."

"And then what happened?" Seto was desperate to get out of this awkward conversation.

"Please Sir is there a point in me repeating what happened tonight?" Seto asked with desperation.

"Answer the question, Seto."

"I begged you to let me help Mokuba to his room and you eventually did grant me permission." Gozaburo looked at him with satisfaction. He loved the confused look Seto had on his face, the fear that was hidden behind it. It fueled him, excited him, even. "What does it matter what happened?"

"Because you see Seto…" Gozaburo turned back his head to Mokuba, starting to stroke him again gently. Seto stood there completely still, but he was restless on the inside. He felt REALLY uncomfortable with Gozaburo touching his brother like that. He didn't like where this was going at all. "How you acted at dinner proved to me that Mokuba is both your one true weakness in this world."

Seto shook his head with denial, "That's not true. Mokuba isn't my weakness at all."

"You defied me Seto, by demanding you help your brother out."

"Mokuba was sick, that was all. I promise to never defy you again, just please…" Seto was finding it hard to focus on Gozaburo's face with Mokuba's hair being stroke in such a provocative way. His eyes kept glancing back down to his brother as he spoke. "Stop this. He's just a boy. I'll be better, I promise. I'll study harder and…" Seto continued to stare at Mokuba. Gozaburo stopped stroking the boy's hair.

"Seto, look at me when you're trying to make a point." Seto's eyes floated back up to his step father's face.

"My apologies Sir, but could it be possible that-" Gozaburo sighed loudly with frustration. He thought Seto to be smarter than this. He wasn't catching onto the point Gozaburo was trying to make.

"Seto, I adopted you to train you to be the next president of Kaiba Corp. You have the abilities and smarts; you are a prodigy after all. But your greatest weakness is your brother; he's always distracting you from your work, and your goal. As a CEO you can't trust anyone and you can love no one." Seto shook his head.

"What? That can't be true. Look, I can't help that I care about my brother… he's my the only family I-"

"Seto, don't you understand? There is no such thing as a 'family' in the business world. And if you plan to work in this world operating MY company you're going to have to learn this." Seto was becoming more frustrated and losing his professional mind set. He knew that showing weakness to Gozaburo would only make him more displeased, but with his brother involved, he found it was hard to ignore his emotions.

"So what am I supposed to do? My brother will always be my brother; I'll always care about him no matter what. There's nothing I can do about that! What am I supposed to do? He won't just disappear!" Seto covered his mouth when he realized how loud he was being. He looked over at his brother, who thankfully was still asleep. The tiny boy's body stirred a little after the shout, but merely turned back onto his other side and remained asleep.

"Now, now, Seto… in the business world, there's always a solution to everything…" Gozaburo said calmly, which was an opposite of how Seto was speaking.

"Like what?" Seto seethed. Gozaburo turned his head once more and looked down at Mokuba lovingly, an evil smile on his face.

"We could just send him back to the orphanage. I'm sure there's another family that would enjoy his uselessness in the world." Seto took a step forward with his arm raised.

"Don't you dare." Gozaburo twisted his head and glared at him.

"Are you threatening me, young protégé?" Seto's anger was extinguished and he retracted his arm. He stood in a more relaxed and professional way before continuing.

"You're right, there is always a solution to every problem in the business world… but not all solutions work. Sending Mokuba away won't help me concentrate, instead, I'll be even more distracted. Rather than pay attention in class, I'll find myself worrying about him even more, thinking about him even more. I'll sleep less, and my performance will be hindered." Seto crossed his arms and nodded. He had held a good argument to counter Gozaburo, and he was happy about it.

"If Mokuba goes, then I go."

"Hm… you sound proud," Gozaburo said, still with a calm and collected tone. Seto was a little thrown off by it, but stood by what he said.

"I know more about the business world than you think." Gozaburo's eyes were still staring deeply into the face of the sleeping boy. He brought his hand up and began to inch it closer to Mokuba's neck.

"Really?" Gozaburo asked, his fingers just barely touching Mokuba's skin, "How knowledgeable are you when it comes to threats?" Gozaburo's fingers gently wrapped themselves around Mokuba's neck without applying pressure. Seto could no longer breathe. His feeling of triumph had disappeared.

"…You wouldn't." Gozaburo's fingers traveled up a little, his thumb and index finger pressing into the spot right below Mokuba's jaw. He tightened his grip slightly and Seto gave out a whimper without thinking. "Please don't."

"If you EVER talk back to me again and disobey my orders AGAIN, I will see to it that Mokuba will suffer."

"Why not me? I'm the one you want to train, not him! I'm the one that defied you! Leave my brother out of this." Gozaburo shook his head and chuckled.

"Oh come now Seto, are you that clueless? This is nothing but business. You think every company got to where they were just by playing fair? Of course not. You know why?" Seto didn't have an answer for him, and he didn't want to. He was utterly disgusted by the way his step father was justifying his actions. It made Seto hate him even more. Gozaburo's eyes narrowed.

"I'll tell you why. Because life is a game and if you're not in it to win it, then you might as well pack up and go home," Gozaburo paused for a moment, letting his words of wisdom sink into the poor boy's skull before continuing his psychological onslaught, "Now it all comes down to you…"

Seto looked up at his step father.

"Do you want this?" Gozaburo asked in the most serious of tones. Seto stared at him. He didn't know what to say. Gozaburo had thrown so many issues at him all at once that he wasn't sure what would be the right answer. He did want this, deep down, he did want this, but he wanted it for Mokuba. But now with Gozaburo's explanation, he was making it seem as though wanting it would mean hurting Mokuba. Seto's mouth opened, but no words came out.

Gozaburo waited a moment longer for a reply. He was about to make a statement of his own until he heard some coughing. Mokuba moved his head a bit and opened his eyes slowly. Gozaburo was slowly moving away from the bed. Seto ran past his step father and to his brother's side as Mokuba continued to cough uncontrollably.

"Mokuba!" Seto cried, putting his hand on his brother's head. Gozaburo opened the door and took one last look at Seto. Seto sensed it and turned around.

"Think about what I said, Seto. Your next lesson will begin tomorrow at dawn." Gozaburo left the room and closed the door. Mokuba opened his eyes and smiled when he saw his brother beside him, but frowned when he saw the worried look he had as he was staring at the door.

"Nii-sama?" Mokuba asked in a quiet tone. Seto seemed as though he had awoken from his thoughts and turned his attention back to his brother. He smiled gingerly.

"Mokuba… how are you feeling?"

"Better but… are you okay?" Seto nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I think I will be." Mokuba sensed that something was still wrong and that Seto wasn't telling him the whole truth. Mokuba wanted to probe his brother further so he could really know what was going on, but it seemed like there was a lot on his brother's mind. It would've been rude to try and dig up more information. So he left it alone and let his brother take care of him in silence.

Both the brothers would leave the subject untouched and move forward with issues more relevant. Although Seto would care for his brother with the utmost care and converse with his brother like nothing had happened only seconds before in the exact same room, his mind was filled with worries and strategies of how to deal with his predicament. Were the things Gozaburo proposed empty lies? Wouldn't the law have any effect on what Gozaburo could and could not do?

Somehow, Seto felt as though the law wouldn't be on his side. Something told him this man was above the law. Something let him know that he was dealing with a real mad man. The thing he hated the most, though, is the fact that he needed to learn from this man, and that these threats and his actions were most likely part of Seto's journey to becoming a true CEO. It both scared him and excited him at the same time.

On the other side of the mansion, in another room entirely, in the office to the left of the main stairway, a man stood in his room quietly. Gozaburo stood with a wine glass in his hand, twirling the alcohol within it as his eyes looked out the window. It had begun to rain softly, and it had appeared it had been raining for some time now, but no one had kept the attention to notice it. Not with the battles going on or the bets being made.

Gozaburo sensed another presence in the room, but relaxed when he recognized the hobble-like foot steps the person was taking.

"Master Kaiba?"

"Hobson… what perfect timing." Gozaburo did not turn Hobson's way. Although Hobson was unable to see his boss's face, he could tell by the tone of his voice that there would probably be a grin on it. He had thought up something terrible, and Hobson was almost positive it had something to do with Seto, especially after his actions at dinner.

"What are you scheming, Master?" Gozaburo stopped twirling his glass, his eyes fixated on the tiny droplets that traveled down the window in front of him. Gozaburo said nothing, and Hobson felt obligated to probe further. Sometimes his boss would refuse to answer a question he found unfit or not to the point. It was the way he had always been.

"It has something to do with the other orphan boy, does it not? The Mokuba child… He was a problem from the very beginning," Hobson stated in anger, hoping to gain Gozaburo's respect for having a similar opinion.

"Do not be so quick to judge, Hobson. Every problem has a solution, and every problem serves a purpose," Gozaburo kept staring at the window. The rain began to pick up and the tiny droplets had suddenly become large, and solid. The hail collided with the window and the droplets from before had seemed nothing but a mere memory. "It's like water, for example."

Hobson raised his eyebrow. "Water, Sir?" Gozaburo nodded.

"Water is one of the most interesting elements, because it exists in three forms. Water can remain a liquid, but when the temperature is hot enough, it can also melt and evaporate into gas. When the temperature is cold, however, it can also freeze and take the form of ice." Hobson blinked for a moment, his mind truly trying to grasp and comprehend the analogy Gozaburo was giving, but finding it hard to really understand.

"I'm sorry Sir, but I'm afraid I don't follow you." Gozaburo turned around and faced him.

"It's quite simple, Hobson. Just as water can turn into a gas, it can also turn into a solid. Although Mokuba is living proof of Seto's weakness, Mokuba also serves as his one true strength. If you remember correctly, I had given Seto a good punch to the gut when he attempted to leave the table, and do you not remember what his reaction was? Seto didn't even appear to care that he was in pain; all he wished to do was help his brother to his room. Even if I had beaten the living hell out of him, it wouldn't have mattered, he would've still felt the same; he would still want to help his brother."

Hobson stood silently as the piece in his head came together.

"Seto has shown me by those actions that he would do almost anything for his brother. That is why physical abuse to this boy will do no good, at least not with his brother around. His intentions on why he's here have become clear; part of him is doing this for his brother."

Hobson was almost afraid to ask the next question, for fear of what answer Gozaburo would give, "So… what does this mean, exactly?" Gozaburo breathed in a loud sigh.

"It means mainly things… from one end, it may seem as though he would be a waste of time to take up. For no man whom works for someone other than himself could truly achieve what I have… but I sense a drive, one similar to mine, instilled in the boy. If trained correctly, if led on the right path, his priorities can be straightened. It'll just take some time…" Gozaburo said, "For now… we'll hit him where it hurts… his brother."

Gozaburo began to laugh and it sent chilling thoughts into Hobson's head. But there was nothing he could do or say to change things. Hobson was sure Seto wasn't aware of what he was getting himself into, but if Gozaburo's speculations were correct, nothing would change the boy's mind. Still, Hobson couldn't keep himself from wondering just how far his master was planning to go before transforming this child prodigy into the man he idealized him to become.

But thoughts and opinion would not matter. Gozaburo was God, the supreme law in this mansion. Anything he said could and would be carried out. It gave Hobson this feeling of madness.

There was no common sense, no logic in this god forsaken mansion. Just plain madness.

* * *

**A/N:** _Hey guys! I know this took for-ev-ev-er to update but I finally did! I'm really sorry I have been failing on the updating end, it's just that… well, this story is an interesting case because never have I encountered a story where I had little to no planned events, planned chapter length, or really a planned… anything. I think it might be because this story had been born many years back and I'm finding it hard to simply start from scratch again. But I promise to try and get a better handle on things so I can give you the best damn story the world ever did see! Oh, and before I let off, sorry for so much dialogue! Hopefully it was bearable/interesting. Thanks for reading and waiting! You guys are troopers! _


	6. Six

MythCreatorWriter: It's okay for an all over the place review! I'm pretty out there too; I'm surprised I can be such a focused writer because I'm such a bad ADD kid in conversation. I wasn't so sure I liked the comparison I gave, it was a bit of a stretch, and I feel like I presented it well… it makes me sad now that I think about it. But hey! I updated more quickly than last time so that's a plus! I hope you like this chapter, it's actually pretty all over the place too! Let me know what you think. Thanks for your review!

KatrinaKaiba: I know EXACTLY what you mean when you say you should be doing school work rather than story stuff(dude, fanfiction tends to come before college stuff in my case, a lot. I'm not even sure how I focused enough to apply to all the colleges I did… although here's the secret behind you and me, I actually used fanfiction as to what makes me an individual, kind of awesome) Anyhow, moving on without another ramble, here's another chapter that's, well, it's out there. But I think its pretty swell. Let me know what you think! And thanks for your review and understanding! Enjoy!

WhiteAsukalover: HECK YES YOU CAN. Thanks for the review!

Lace Kyoko: Awww, thank you so much! That's such an epic compliment! I promise not to let you down, enjoy the chapter!

AmePiper: Really? Last chapter was your favorite chapter? I don't know about you, but I'm still hung up on Two where Gozaburo tells Mokuba he isn't a Kaiba cause he's worthless *love sigh* Good times… hahaha, anyways. I feel as though this story will slowly start to focus more and more on Seto, which makes me sad, but the bottom line will always be that the center of Seto's pain will be focused around Mokuba's well being, which is what every story I write centered around him ultimately comes down to, which is what I'm sure you've observed over the years. Gosh, I'm so proud though that I can come up with great enough lines that get recognition in your reviews!(no seriously, I feel so professional and awesome when you love a line enough that you put it in your review, it's like an orgasm in my pants for me:]) I get you about the rebel bit! Thanks for cuing me in, bud! Well if you liked dialogue last chapter, you'll love this chapter as well! Thanks for the lovely review, as always! Enjoy!

Six

It was a bright and sunny morning on the 3rd day of April. Spring was still fresh and in the air, flowers were blooming, and life could be seen everywhere. That is until the eyes of a stranger would find their way into the Kaiba Mansion. The Mansion still remained a desolate place, with very few people living there, and terror around every corner. But these worries and fears did not seem to come to Mokuba, not today.

It was Saturday. And the boy was very excited. It was on Saturday that for one hour on this day, he would get to spend with his older brother. Mokuba's smile could be seen from the very moment he had awoken, this was the day Mokuba waited for nearly every week. It was the only thing he ever got excited for. It was the only thing Mokuba truly enjoyed.

Mokuba didn't even need his alarm clock that morning. He had awakened at 8 o'clock all on his own, eager to see his brother again. The time they spent was usually from the beginning of breakfast all the way through the rest of the morning, depending on how quickly Mokuba would scarf down his breakfast to be able to spend his hour wisely. It was no wonder the boy was awaiting at the table at 10 o'clock this morning when Hobson arrived at the Mansion.

The toad of a man stared at the boy.

"And what are you doing up so early?"

"It's Saturday!" Mokuba exclaimed, nearly yelling at the top of his lungs. Hobson rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"A boy like you should be getting rest, not bouncing around so early in the morning." Mokuba frowned but said nothing. Mokuba wouldn't be able to change Hobson's mind, but it wasn't like he intended to anyway. No one could truly understand the special bond he had with his older brother, and Mokuba didn't mind them not knowing either. Seto and Mokuba had something special, that no one could ever understand, and Mokuba was fine with it that way.

"Here," Hobson said, placing a glass of orange juice on the table in front of Mokuba, "Drink that while I start up breakfast." Mokuba stared at the glass oddly like he didn't know what it was. He looked up at Hobson.

"Okay, but can I wait till my brother gets here?" Hobson gave an annoyed and uncaring grunt. Mokuba was a little offended by his reaction, but the smile remained on his face. Eyeing the clock just above the stove, Mokuba grew even more anxious. It was almost time for his brother to have breakfast with him, and he could hardly wait. He picked up on footsteps and Mokuba's smile grew.

Seto walked into the room with Gozaburo close behind him, always keeping guard, always watching his every move. Mokuba hadn't noticed him. His face lit up at the very site of his older brother.

"Nii-sama!" Mokuba said with excitement.

"Hi Mokuba," Seto said with a very tired voice. He had been up all of last night with various lessons and studying to do. He couldn't be as excited as Mokuba, but deep down, he was very happy to see his sibling. Seto gave him the biggest smile he could put on while keeping himself from collapsing from exhaustion.

"I couldn't wait to see you this morning; I even woke up early and waited right in this very spot for you!" Mokuba said, getting up from his seat to greet his brother with a tight hug. When Mokuba got up and moved away from his seat, his arm carelessly hit the glass of orange juice and knocked it off the table.

Although it had been a harmless and simple glass of orange juice that had hit the table, the shattered sound it emanated echoed through-out the whole house. The orange from the juice splattered everywhere, including the hugely expensive carpet that was set up underneath the table. Seto held his breath, as time seemed to stop. Mokuba's face grew dark, but he did not have the same intensity of a reaction as his brother did.

"…Whoops," Mokuba said under his breath, his eyes looked up at Gozaburo, "I'm sorry Father, I didn't mean to-" Gozaburo took one step towards Mokuba, and the boy knew he was in trouble. Mokuba's fight or flight instincts kicked in instantly, and he attempted to take a step back and move away, but his feet slipped on the marble part of the floor that had been wet by the orange juice. Mokuba fell onto his back on the ground, and his eyes stared up at the most deadliest threat.

Gozaburo shoved Seto to the side as he moved forward. Seto knew what was going to happen next, and he couldn't let it. Not over this. Not on their special day.

"Don't-" Seto said, grabbing Gozaburo's arms. The temperature all of the sudden grew cold. Gozaburo's eyes fell upon Seto, shooting a glare that could've pierced the boy's soul if he had allowed it. But over the past month or so, Seto's will had grown strong, even if Gozaburo remained the King.

Gozaburo's arm switched around, so that now Seto's arm was in his grasp and twisted in a painful position.

"Do you have any idea of who you're messing with? Do you?" Gozaburo asked, his voice growing louder and more threatening with each question he asked, "I was holding back for you, Seto. We had a deal. I promised not to hurt him if you did not interfere, if you did what you're told."

"Mokuba did nothing! He accidentally hit his orange juice off the table! It was an accident!" Gozaburo's eyes narrowed.

"I told you that if there was one slip up…" Mokuba still remained on the ground, frozen in fear, but he was paying close attention to the conversation and growing more confused. What were they talking about? What deal had been made on his behalf? Mokuba didn't know what was going on, but he was most certainly too afraid to ask any questions to find out.

Back on the other side of, what had become, a battle field, Seto's arm was still locked in Gozaburo's grasp. Suddenly Seto realized what was really going through Gozaburo's head, what was really behind his illogical reaction.

"You've been… waiting for a moment to do this, haven't you? You just want an excuse to hurt him…"

"Your grades have been slipping…"

"You just want to see him suffer. You just want me to suffer."

"I want to teach you what it means to be a Kaiba." Seto tried to pull away as hard as he could from Gozaburo.

"You're a mad man!" Gozaburo took up Seto's entire body and slammed it onto the table. Seto yelped with pain, but couldn't stay there for long. He had to fight back, he had to make sure Mokuba was… Seto turned around to see Gozaburo pinning Mokuba up against the wall, his hands around his neck, squeezing tightly.

"It's time we got rid of the weakest link! It's time to get rid of the one thing that's holding you back!" Seto turned back onto his side and ran forward, but Hobson grabbed him.

"You can't go any closer!" Hobson commanded. Seto couldn't believe this. He struggled to break free, he struggled to move forward. Gozaburo's hands were tightening, and Mokuba's eyes were open, staring at only one person; Seto. They were so big, so hopeful.

"Nii… sama…" Mokuba choked with a hopeless cry, tears streaming down the sides of his face, his eyes never leaving his brother's side, "Help me… save… me… don't let me…" Seto wanted to look away, but he couldn't. His mind went into a different dimension, where there was only him and his brother. And as he stood there, his body rendered useless and immobile, Seto watched as Mokuba's dark purple eyes soon turned to gray and life left him.

Mokuba's face remained in Seto's directly, but his soul was gone. Mokuba was dead. Seto fell to his knees and bellowed a cry that could be heard across the world. And the day grew dark with despair and death.

* * *

Seto screamed at the top of his lungs when he awoke. He was breathing harshly, sweat was all over his body. Seto was gasping for air, his heart was beating so fast he felt like he couldn't breathe… that dream, that one dream… every dream, it seemed, had similar events and ended nearly the same way. With Mokuba dying, with his one hope being crushed.

"Having trouble sleeping, my son?" Seto heard a man say in the darkness. Seto knew who it was, and his fears were not lessened with his presence.

"Yes," Seto said like a robot programmed to give Gozaburo the very answer he found fit and logical. Gozaburo walked over to him and turned on the lamp beside his bed. Seto turned towards him and looked his way. There was no fear, but there was also no anger. Seto revealed nothing in his eyes, mainly because he had lost the ability to show emotion quite some time ago.

"Tell me Seto…" Gozaburo said in a quiet voice, as he leaned over. Seto remained completely still, Gozaburo inching closer and closer to his body. Gozaburo had his head hovering right next to his own face; Seto could feel the few prickles of hair on the man's cheeks as he whispered into Seto's ear, "Do I haunt you in your sleep?"

Seto didn't want to give the robotic answer this time. He didn't want to give Gozaburo the pleasure of seeing him in pain, or seeing his weakness. After all, he already knew he was the very person that haunted Seto's dreams. Seto had told him many times in the past, Gozaburo only did this to take in account how much of Seto's mind he occupied, day in and day out.

Seto turned his head away reluctantly.

"When's the next time I get to see my brother again?" Seto asked in a very calm and cool voice. Gozaburo pulled back to look him in the eyes.

"Soon."

"When?" Seto asked, trying to keep his cool, but finding it hard to.

"The answer is 'Soon.' And that is the answer you will accept." Seto continued to look the other way. "He's been on a camping trip with some of my business associates; I have already told you that." And that was the answer Seto simply couldn't bring himself to believing. Not with Gozaburo's psycho-pathic mind. Not with the thirst for power that he sought. Seto turned his head back towards his step father.

"You've hurt him, haven't you?" Gozaburo patted Seto on the shoulder with a bit more force than one would accept from a 'friendly pat on the shoulder.' Seto winced; his bruises still hadn't fully healed from the last 'visit' Gozaburo had given him. Seto kept a stiff upper lip and a fierce look on the face.

"Get some rest, my son. Tomorrow is another battle to fight." Gozaburo left the room colder than it had been originally; he seemed to have that effect on every room where he was present as well as Seto. Seto lay back down in his bed after a few minutes to make sure Gozaburo was really gone.

Still, Seto could not feel safe, and sleep would not return to him. Or if it did, he would have the same dream… Seto turned onto his side. Every night seemed to go the same way. Seto hadn't seen his brother in so long; his heart ached just to see his innocent face. A few months in this prison called home, and yet, Seto could never feel safe. He always had to be on high alert, for any mess up he did, would go to his brother. Of course, he would receive a fair beating himself; but he imagined Mokuba would get far worse.

Once Seto had gotten a poor grade in his Calculus class because earlier that night he had had three other major tests, not mention a major two hour study session in Astronomy; and Mokuba couldn't walk the next day. Seto still hadn't know what exactly had been done to Mokuba, but the only clues he was able to get was the condition he would be in when he would walk in.

Seto never got the chance to observe him, and Gozaburo always managed to clean Mokuba up well in order to cover up. But Seto didn't need to see the scars to know that Mokuba had been broken, it could be seen in his eyes. Those poor, out-spoken eyes that were the only thing Seto could use to communicate with his brother, at least as much as he could from simply looking at him.

Seto turned back onto his side. All this thinking of his brother worried him to death, and yet, most nights thinking of his brother would usually bring him sleep… although the sleep would usually bring nightmares as well. Seto took in a hard breath, trying not to think about the nightmares before he even had them. Seto pulled his covers over his head and tried to imagine his brother's smiling face.

Mokuba… he couldn't live like this anymore. He couldn't suffer like this any longer under Gozaburo's fist and as a result of Seto's short comings. Something had to be done. Seto wanted to be the next president of Kaiba Corp., he really did… he just… Seto bit his lip as he pictured his brother's broken face the day before he left to go on the supposed 'camping trip.'

The way Mokuba had looked at him that night was unbearable. The light no longer twinkled in his eyes, and his hair seemed to grow long and cover most of his face. Never had he seen his brother so uninterested, so dead on the inside. When Seto had tried to talk to his brother later that night, Mokuba hardly seemed to have the energy to talk to him. And as Seto could remember it, their past meetings would usually go the opposite way with him not being able to have energy while Mokuba bounded up and down with excitement.

Gozaburo was breaking Mokuba's spirit and because of that, he was breaking Seto's spirit as well. He couldn't take it any longer. Something had to be done. His brother had to be saved. But how? That was the only question that would stop Seto every night… how in the world was he supposed to stop his step father?

The question would remain unanswered as it did every night. Seto slowly closed his eyes, hoping that a new day would bring new ideas, wishing that the sun would rise the next morning with hope for a new tomorrow.

There were some things better left unsaid, while some things were worth dying for.

* * *

**A/N:** _Hey guys! So… you guys are probably wondering, 'Wait, what?' Or, I don't know, maybe that was just me. A lot of this chapter came out while I was writing this very randomly, but hopefully it worked out well. I'm hoping to get better on track with my story, but maybe what makes this so good is that I find a direction while I'm writing it… or something. Maybe I'm thinking about it too much… but I would love to ask if anyone caught the reference in the very last sentence of my story:] Probably not… it use to be the key line to this one crappy story I wrote a bazillion years ago that I'm sure still sucks, but the line was cool! I hope you guys liked it at least. Anyhow, I'd really like to know all that you guys are thinking and if you have any suggestions, totally go for it! Peace out on this end!_

_P.S: Sorry for all the dialogue guys! I swear this is all a build up to something BIG!:D_


	7. Seven

KatrinaKaiba: That would've sucked if Mokuba had just died like that. I think I might've killed myself too. Hahaha, well, this chapter has a lot more going on, so I feel a bit happier about it. Thanks for your review! Enjoy!

MythCreatorWriter: Oh I'm sure the dread will return, it always does around dinner time. I'm not sure what kind of twist or direction I was going with the dream, but it sure was something… wasn't it? Hahaha, no confidence… but don't worry! I've finally found out where I want to go with this story, and I feel as though this is a very concrete and well balanced chapter right here! Dude, if I was talking to Gozaburo and I had a gun… actually, we probably shouldn't go into that. Hahaha, thanks for the review!

Lace Kyoko: Eyes are my favorite part of human beings! You really get a general knowledge of a person by just looking at their eyes, just really looking at them. It's awesome! The last line… don't worry, not many were supposed to catch it. It was a summary to an OLD story I wrote back in the day(back in the day being five years ago, hahaha) Awesome, I'm so glad I convinced you! Anyways, thanks for the review and enjoy the chapter!

WhiteAsukalover: Hahaha, your review made me laugh. Thanks for that! Oh, and the nightmare comment. I've never believed I was good at nightmares, and the fact that he ended up dying over spilled orange juice seemed silly… but I'm glad you liked it! Enjoy the new chapter!:D

SereneShadows: It's fine, sometimes I go fast and sometimes I go slow(like right now! Can you believe it's almost been a week since I've updated? D: No wonder I've been homicidal!) Nice! Keeping the attention of the reader during a movie? Gosh, I feel like a goddess or something! It's what I love to write most of all; Seto and Mokuba generally being cute. It's what I live for. And thank you, thank you, thank you for all your wonderful compliments! I feel I do not deserve them, but you write them so genuinely that I cannot resist! You know my friend, you write some very wonderful reviews. I've always felt that only true writers can write a true and honest review, so I thank you for sharing your gifts to convey a kind and noble message. It motivates me every day! Enjoy the chapter!

AmePiper: Amey, Amey, Amey… what SHALL I do with you? No, I'm kidding… although I DO know what I would do with you if I could ;) No, I should stop trying to be a creep in my review replies. Some people still think I'm normal… OR DO THEY?! Hahaha, but that's me being random. Like I said in the other review reply, KEEP BEING AWESOME. The world likes it like that! I hope you enjoy my chapter, darling!

Seven

It would be another week more before Mokuba would return home. Everyone was aware that he was coming home, but in what condition, no one knew. It was a topic that was kept on the down low amongst most inhabitants of the Kaiba Mansion. To everyone's surprise, Seto was the most quiet about the issue. He never said anything, he never showed anticipation, nothing. His behavior had even begun to confuse and baffle Gozaburo, to a certain extent.

But when Seto had found time in between classes to be alone, he would worry about how he would avoid his younger brother's return. He had been under Gozaburo's watchful eye long enough to figure out what his intentions were and what actions he used against Seto. It had become clear that Gozaburo used Mokuba's pain and suffering against Seto; therefore, the boy had come to the conclusion that he would have to avoid Mokuba and show no interest in order to protect him.

It was going to be a hard task, and under no circumstance would he be able to tell Mokuba what was going on. Mokuba was a smart kid, but he wouldn't be able to catch on. Seto knew telling him would put him at more risk than he already was. The plan itself made Seto sick to the stomach, but there was nothing more he could do about it.

In the mean time, Seto tried to distract himself in his studies and work. He thought that maybe he could 'accidentally' forget about his brother's arrival and therefore be able to avoid seeing him altogether. It seemed like a full proof plan.

"Master Seto," Hobson said, calling Seto's attention in the middle of class. The Physics teacher fell silent and looked on towards the man.

"Um… yes, Hobson?" Seto asked, gripping his pencil tightly between his two fingers.

"Your brother has arrived. If you wish to see him, you must go now." Seto took a deep breath, keeping the pencil tightly gripped in his hand.

"I… understand. But, I'm sure Gozaburo wouldn't want me to miss out on my-"

"Gozaburo has already granted permission for you to spend ten minutes with Mokuba before he is sent to his room to unpack. Seto let go of the pencil and dropped it onto the page. He couldn't avoid it now. If he refused at this point, Gozaburo would be able to figure out what Seto was doing, and find another way around it.

"I understand. I'll come." Seto got up from his seat and walked towards Hobson. His head suddenly felt dizzy, and he could no longer feel his feet. Every step he felt like he might lose his balance and fall over. His body reverted to that of a robot, functioning in a way that helped him to walk properly without any effort. All the while, Seto was trying to keep his mentality stable.

"Ah, there you are Master Mokuba," Hobson said. Seto froze and looked up. He hadn't even noticed that they had walked into the living room. "Come now, you can visit with your brother for a few minutes before he had to finish his lesson." Mokuba slowly looked up at his brother. Seto was about to gasp, but managed to hold back.

On the outside, Mokuba appeared to be fine. But when you took a closer look into his face, especially his eyes… their condition resembled that of his eyes in the nightmare he had not too long ago, after Gozaburo had killed him. Mokuba's eyes no longer shined with love and admiration. In fact, they didn't shine at all. Without saying anything, Seto could tell that his brother's spirit had been completely broken in only a matter of two weeks.

"Nii… sama…" Mokuba said in a very hushed voice. All other people in the room seemed to vanish when the brothers' eyes locked. The room went black, and it was only them. Mokuba Seto didn't know what to do; he didn't know what to say. Mokuba put a step forward, towards Seto, holding out his arms. Seto remained frozen in time; frozen in his own thoughts and fears.

Mokuba was now standing right in front of Seto; his strength had already diminished just from the walk over to him. Mokuba's eyes closed softly and he fell forward. Seto's instincts thankfully kicked in before his brain could snap back into reality. Seto's arms stretched out and caught his brother's small frame. Just by merely holding him, Seto could feel his brother had been hurt mercilessly. Someone had hurt him badly. He didn't want to leave his brother's side; he didn't want anyone else to be near him…

"Hobson, please escort Mokuba here back to his room. I'd like to have a word with Seto, alone." Hobson picked the boy up and out of Seto's arms, carrying him out of the room. Seto would've held on tighter, but he knew he had to let go. If it hadn't been for him, Seto would've taken anyone down to keep his brother by his side. Anyone. But now that… he, was in the room; that was no longer possible. "Did you boys have a nice reunion?"

Seto twisted around to face his enemy.

"What did you do to him?" Seto barked back without control. Gozaburo smirked.

"Oh, nothing you would approve of…"

"You broke him. You broke him in almost every sense. Why? Why would you do that?" Gozaburo's smirk disappeared and now turned into a stern frown.

"Seto, I don't like to being talked to with such a tone." Seto tried to contain himself and held back.

"Why?" Seto asked in a calmer manner, even though a monster such as Gozaburo didn't even deserve such respect after what he had done.

"It was just a little bit of motivation to get you going." Seto opened his mouth to argue with him one more, but Gozaburo interrupted him before anything could get heated. "Calm yourself, Seto, there's a reason that I'm here."

"What is it?" Seto asked.

"Well… you've been living here for about a month or so, taking your formal education and getting fair grades, but that's not all that is involved with being a CEO… a lot of the times my job has nothing to do with books, a lot of it is life experiences, and dealing with people." Seto wanted to respond with, 'And your point is?' but he knew Gozaburo didn't see the value in sarcasm, so he remained quiet. "So I'm going to have you do a little job for me, just so you can get a feel for the issues that may come up in 'the real world.'"

"What do you mean, Sir?" Gozaburo patted him on the shoulder, indicating that he wanted Seto to follow him down the hall. Seto did so, following his step father for a couple minutes until they reached the door into Gozaburo's office. There Gozaburo stopped and held out a portfolio to Seto, one that Seto did not notice he had during the time he was following him.

"Seto, there is an employee in there that I have told that, based on an interview you will construct, he will either be fired or kept. This portfolio contains the man's track records over the past couple months he's been working at Kaiba Corp., and the first couple pages are the most recent incidents that have led me to believe he is not fit to work here any longer." Seto stared at the portfolio oddly and then looked back up at Gozaburo. Was he really going to force Seto to do this?

Seto had never interviewed anyone before in his life. He had never been interviewed himself! Although he supposed him and Gozaburo's first encounter was a bit like an interview, but not a formal one. Not like the one he was expected to give.

"So… do you basically want me to fire him?" Seto asked, picking up on Gozaburo's current attitude which led him to believe that was what he wanted.

"Yes, but I am not assigning this to you just to do my dirty work. I want you to interview him, review his files, and come to your own decision about what should be done with him." Gozaburo pushed the portfolio more towards Seto, giving the boy a sense that this was his responsibility. Seto kept looking from the portfolio back to his step father. He couldn't do this, what was Gozaburo thinking?

"I'm only twelve though. I don't think I'm capable of making a decision like this." Gozaburo shook his head, holding the knob of the door in his hand and twisting it, forcing open the door. He used his other hand to push Seto more towards the opening, and give him a little nudge to push him in.

"Don't give me that excuse, Seto. After all, you are a prodigy," Once Gozaburo had Seto completely in the room, he closed the door. Just before he closed the door completely, Seto heard him whisper, "I'm counting on you to make the right decision, for the company." _Click. _The door was closed, and Seto was alone. The man sitting in the chair in the middle of the room turned around and hopped out of his seat. The man looked nervous, almost like he were about to explode from anticipation.

"HI!" The man practically shouted. He stopped when he got a look at Seto and how young he was, but the smile came back to his face all the same. "You're here instead of Gozaburo, aren't you? That must be a good sign! So do I get to keep my job?!" Seto wanted to turn around and run away immediately, he was not ready to handle this person. But he couldn't runaway, he knew that much. This was another step to becoming a CEO and Seto couldn't pass up the chance.

"Um… well… let's just see," Seto said, walking past the man and to the front desk in the room. He sat down and opened up the portfolio. He looked at the pages in front of him, but he couldn't seem to really READ what was in front of him. Seto was so nervous; he could feel his heart beating in his chest. Seto had the page open but was finding it hard to comprehend what any of the words meant on the page. When he looked up, the man was still standing.

"Why don't you sit down, Mr…" Seto glanced back down at the page and was able to find his name, "Tomuko." The man sat down immediately in the chair in front of him. Mr. Tomuko crossed his legs and forced a smile as he waited for Seto's next response. Seto looked back down at the report to see what issues he was being laid off for. Judging from the information at hand, it appeared as though Mr. Tomuko had given away confidential information about one of Kaiba Corp. top clients to a new client. The information was apparently very vital to one of Kaiba Corp.'s most funded competitor right now, and the information could result in Kaiba Corp.'s biggest client pulling away from using their services.

Seto looked up at the man's face.

"You told another client of ours some confidential information… this can only hurt the company in the long run."

"Yes Sir, I did, but I promise you that-"

"Mr. Tomuko… how was it that you were not aware that confidential information is not to be discussed with others? You've been working at Kaiba Corp. for nearly five years now, you should've known better than to do something like this."

"It was a misunderstanding, that's all! I wasn't aware of who I was talking to on the phone. And I hadn't known the information was confidential! Please Sir, I promise it'll never happen again, I'm begging you!" Mr. Tomuko continued to roll out the excuses for his actions, but Seto couldn't help but continue to glance at the sheet. Seto knew as well as any business man should know that if the biggest client pulled away from the company, it wouldn't be long before the other clients ceased to do so as well. Kaiba Corp. would lose it's creditability as a military weapons and machinery producer.

Seto had no other choice. He had to let him go. There was no other logical way of getting around it. He would have to fire him and hope for the best for Kaiba Corp. in the future.

Mr. Tomuko, I hate to interrupt you," Seto said, Mr. Tomuko fell silent immediately, "But… we have to let you go." Mr. Tomuko's mouth dropped.

"No… please Sir! Just give me another chance!" Seto looked away and closed the portfolio.

"I'm… sorry, but-" Mr. Tomuko rose from his seat and walked over to Seto's desk. He slammed his hands on the ground, causing Seto's head to jerk up and look him in the eye.

"Sir, forgive me, but I can't lose this job! I just can't! I have kids! I have a wife at home that needs me! Don't do this to me-" Seto couldn't hear this any longer. He just wanted to fire the guy and get out of here. Even the hours among hours of homework seemed like a happier situation than this. The guy was one the verge of tears, which didn't make the situation any better.

"Your work is unacceptable. Therefore you must be eliminated now." Mr. Tomuko stopped talking and stared at him.

"You don't mean that… do you?" Seto couldn't take this anymore. He rose from his own seat and threw the portfolio across the room. It was time to take action. It was time to show him who was in charge.

"Get OUT! You're fired, you're done, you're not needed any longer; GO!" Mr. Tomuko took a step back and stared at him like he was the devil on earth. Anyone could tell that the grown man was trying to hold back tears, and he did it rather well, considering the hateful look that replaced his depressed face. Mr. Tomuko said nothing and turned away. He sighed and began walking towards the door.

"Well, I hope you're happy… Good day to you." Mr. Tomuko left the room and slammed the door behind him. Seto jumped from the bang it made from being shut. He stood there, motionless… yet his body was shaking uncontrollably. Never in his life had he upset anyone like he had upset that man… Seto was beginning to re-think his decision. Maybe he should've let the man stay. After all… he did have children. Seto shook his head.

What did he care? Seto was never able to enjoy a family; at least Mr. Tomuko would always have that. It was just one job. Mr. Tomuko could find another. In fact, he still had a home to go to, a wife that loved him… what did Seto have? A little brother that he never got to see, and a dream of being able to run his own life one day, without anyone's help or guidance. Seto stopped thinking when he heard the door open again.

"Well done, Seto. You did well," Gozaburo said, clapping his hands for a brief moment as he walked in, "I was almost afraid you wouldn't have the guts to do it." Seto looked away.

"Yeah… well… there was no other way of getting around it. It needed to be done." Gozaburo wrapped his arms around Seto's neck and pulled the boy close.

"I'm glad you're starting to see things my way…" Seto ignored the comment and continued to stare at the ground. But he couldn't help but wonder what 'confidential information' Mr. Tomuko had foolishly told another Kaiba Corp. client, and how it had become so important he had to lose his job as a result. Seto turned back towards his step father.

"So… what was it that Mr. Tomuko had told another client of Kaiba Corp.'s?"

"Ah yes… well, I'm sure you've heard about the civil war in Mirukand, haven't you?" Seto nodded. He had heard of the terrors and many deaths that had resulted from the rebel take over. It was the typical war torn country story; the country had been split between the government and the rebel forces, and civilians were always the ones that got caught in the middle of the conflict. It was a sad case indeed. One that Seto didn't wish to think about. "Well, we have been supplying the government in Mirukand for quite some time now, supplying them with weapons and machinery."

"I understand that… but what did Mr. Tomuko tell our other client? And who were they?"

"Our other client was the rebel forced, in Mirukand. We also supply them with machinery and weapons, but just better. We develop bigger and better weapons and sell them at high prices. The rebels are willing to pay any money to over throw the government. And because the government never has the most technology, they always come crawling back to Kaiba Corp. looking for more. Mr. Tomuko almost revealed this plan to the rebel forces, trying to be a 'good Samaritan' no doubt, which would've caused them to stop buying it from us. That would've been a sad case, considering how much money we make off of them and their little 'conflict.'"

Seto pulled his step father's arm off of him and moved away. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This man was pure evil… he was the cause behind the entire war in Mirukand. There had been many points, Seto had heard from multiple radio broadcasts; that the conflict always seemed like it was over, until the rebel forces would roll in with better materials. They always seemed to have an edge. And here was the cause of all this mess. Here was the reason so many people were dying.

It was all because of Gozaburo. Seto stopped breathing for a moment, thinking back to only a few moments ago when he had yelled at Mr. Tomuko to leave, when he had fired him for what he had done.

_"I'm glad you're starting to see things my way…"_ Seto buried his face in his hands. Suddenly he felt like he was experiencing the one crystallizing moment, where everything became clear in his head, and he began to see that these were the first signs of him transforming into an evil he couldn't run away from. Seto was turning into the very man he despised.

He was starting to become Gozaburo.

* * *

**A/N:** _Hey guys! Kari in the house! So, I've been mulling over that last scene in my head for practically the whole week! It feels SO good to finally get it out. Although I'm not so sure I conveyed it as greatly as I could have, but it's all good. So… you know how at the beginning of this story, I was lost? Well baby, I have been FOUND! I mean, I've literally gotten so many ideas in the last story that I can barely wait to get them all on paper! Thanks everyone for reading and supporting me! It feels great to get back on track! _

_P.S: Did anyone catch the Amelda/Alister reference?? Oh MAN, am I good :)_


	8. Eight

WhiteAsukalover: Hey, sorry for forgetting to respond to your PM! My bad! Your idea sounds tempting, but it strays away from the idea I have going on here. I'm sorry, I hope you understand! But hey, thanks for the review!

KatrinaKaiba: The name of the country is all thanks to my brother(He made it up off the top of his head based off the name of Alister's brother's name from the Japanese version… yeah, I'm a bit of a dork. A cool one, I might add, hahaha) I am too! And talking to one of my awesome writer friends inspired me to finish this chapter! I might actually leave you guys in suspense about Mokuba though… it's one of those things I kind of want to leave up to the reader to decide and wonder about, and something I don't have time to really explain. I'm sure you get where I'm going with it. Anyhow, thanks for the review! Enjoy!

MythCreatorWriter: Um, yeah… about that… ummm, yeah. Well, what happened with Mokuba is something I'd like to leave open-ended. You know, something to leave the readers to decide. I feel like that sounds like BS, but it's not I swear! I'm quite the creepy character myself in real life, so I find that it's commonplace to find such sketch characters in my stories;) Thanks for the review!

Patriot16: Thanks! I like you!:D

Lace Kyoko: I'm sorry you were undergoing stress:[ I hope you're feeling better now! And thanks for your review! It was quite the happy button for me!(I have no clue… it's 12 a.m. right now…) Enjoy the chapter!

AmePiper: I love you doll face!

_Hey guys, so you know how I love you guys? Well, yeah, I do. Actually, that has nothing to do with what I'm about to say. I suppose you can blame that on me writing this at 12:13 a.m. I just wanted to say that I was inspired to finish this chapter by my dearest Rena Redhead, and inspired to post it by LittleKuriboh. Because dammit, we were closer than brothers! And now we have to fight each other! Can we trust our faith to the heart of the cards? _

_No matter what!(If you guys didn't catch the LK reference that's fine, but you all must know the lyrics to the song I'm referring to! It's only one of the classics from the Music to Duel By CD! Yes, I do have it. Why? Cause I rock the world and your socks:p)_

_Yeah. Enjoy your chapter, guys. You've earned it by being awesome! :]_

Eight

It was a bright and sunny morning on the 7th day of July. Summer was nearing its peak in the season, the temperature seemed to get hotter with each day, and yet there was always a cool breeze to keep it from being overwhelming. The joys of summer and no school were widespread across Japan. That would be unless someone was to enter the Kaiba Mansion. However, even the terror that remained around every corner could not upset Mokuba on this day.

Mokuba sprinted down the stairs, many moments tripping on his feet, but managing to catch himself in the very last second. He slipped down the stairs and raced into the dining room. His head twisted and turned, looking all around. Mokuba frowned, where had he gone? He couldn't have possibly forgotten, Mokuba thought to himself, shrugging.

"Hey Mokuba." The happiness was back and the doubt was forgotten in the young boy's mind. Mokuba twisted around to see his one and only old brother. He was there! It wasn't just a dream! Mokuba's smile might've actually grown three sizes that day.

"NII-SAMA!" Mokuba cried, throwing himself at his brother. Seto hadn't seen this coming and held his arms out. Mokuba's body shot off the wooden floor and came colliding into Seto's, tackling him to the ground. Mokuba was laughing and giggling as he lay on top of Seto. "Nii-sama! You were supposed to catch me!"

"Well, how could I? You have to give a guy a warning before you fling yourself at them!" Mokuba laughed and got off his brother.

"Alright Nii-sama, I'm sorry." Seto shook his head and got up.

"It's fine, really." Seto understood why his brother was so anxious anyway, and his behavior was understood. Today was Mokuba's birthday, which meant that Gozaburo would allow him to spend the whole day with Seto. The entire twenty-four hours would belong to just Mokuba and Seto; the two brothers would be together again outside of the dining room and away from anyone else. They hadn't spent that kind of time together since the orphanage, which had seemed like years ago, but in reality had only been six months. And it hadn't been the happiest of six months, either.

"So what would you like to do, Mokuba? It's your big day, and we can do whatever you want. You name it, little brother." Seto's heavy heart lifted when he saw the twinkle in his brother's eyes. Mokuba was still as inspiring as he had always been, it was just hard to recognize from across the dinner table in the short forty-five minutes a day that they spent together daily. It was the only time in the day that the brothers got to see each other; during dinner, and that was it. It was a sad and cruel thing that Seto didn't want to think about, especially not on his brother's special day.

"I-I don't know!" Mokuba exclaimed with excitement, "I mean, I'm really just happy to have you here… with me!" Mokuba wrapped his arms around Seto's waist and hugged him tightly. "I've missed you…" Mokuba whispered, just quietly enough so that Seto could hear him. Seto gulped, holding back his urge to cling to his brother just as tightly. The truth was; he felt exactly the same way. The only thing that had even kept him going the last couple weeks was just the thought of this day, of being able to see Mokuba, and being happy that he had been born six years ago.

"Well, whatever your heart desires can and will be granted," Hobson said, no one had noticed he was still standing slightly behind Seto, off in the corner. "Master Kaiba has instructed that he will finance whatever activity or gift you desire on this day. Consider it his personal gift to you." Seto and Mokuba looked up at each other.

"That's a new one," Seto said under his breath. Mokuba chuckled. Hobson furrowed his brow.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that just now. So what would you boys like to do?" Hobson asked. Seto looked back down at Mokuba, whom still had his arms around him and was clinging to him tightly, never wanting to let him go. Mokuba was worried that if he let go, he might not be able to hold his brother again for a very long time. The thought made Mokuba hug his brother tighter.

"Go on Mokuba, it's your birthday. I'm up for anything you want to do," Seto said, ruffling the boy's hair. Mokuba stood there and thought for a moment. Another smile came on his face.

"I know exactly where I want to go."

"Alright, where is it?" Mokuba was hesitant to answer. His head shifted a bit, his eyes glancing over at Hobson.

"But… I want to know," Mokuba began, "Can it just be my brother and I, no one else? Gozaburo won't…"

"Of course not, after all, Gozaburo is in an important meeting right now so he won't be finished until dinner time." Mokuba let go of his brother and nodded his head.

"Hooray! Then I know exactly where I want to go." Seto and Hobson stood still, staring at Mokuba, while waiting for an answer. "I want to go to the Domino City Park, where Dad used to bring us." Mokuba turned to Seto. "Don't you remember, Nii-sama? That was your favorite place to go when Dad was alive."

For the first time in a very long time, Seto smiled back at him. His mind was flooded with fond memories of the past; of mainly good time he had with his father. There hadn't been many, but the few that he could remember were imprinted in his mind permanently.

"I do," Seto said softly to himself.

"Alright then, let's go out to the car and I shall escort you there," Hobson declared, getting out the keys to the car. Mokuba bounded up and down, before taking hold of his brother's hand and dragging him outside.

"Come on Nii-sama! Let's go!" Mokuba said, pulling Seto along by his arm. Seto laughed and began running to pick up his brother's pace as they ran out to the car. Maybe the last six months had been dark, but it had all been worth it for this bright day. Seto had a feeling that there was nothing that could ruin this day for him or his baby brother.

* * *

Seto took in a deep breath and exhaled a sigh of satisfaction. The Domino City Park… filled with wonder and heart-warming memories. The play ground they had spent time playing in seemed smaller, at least back in the day. And it had seemed to be a lot more amusing as well, when Seto was a kid. But just sitting and watching his brother enjoy all the old play ground equipment that he played on when he was Mokuba's age was enough to make him forget about it.

"Gosh, tastes better than I remember it," Mokuba complimented, licking the ice cream cone in his hand. Both brothers were sitting on a swing; it was Seto's favorite piece of equipment in the entire park. Seto could remember the many hours he would spend on the weekend, just swinging back and forth. Seto didn't remember what it was about it that made him love swings so much, but it might've been those five seconds of flying he could feel when he really got some air.

"Yeah, I agree," Seto said, eating his last spoonful of ice cream and placing it down on the ground. Seto closed his eyes and leaned back a bit. The sun was warm, and relaxing. Sweat had begun to form on his forehead, but he didn't mind. The breeze would come in and cool him off. It had a very calming effect on him. Seto loved feeling like this. He hadn't realized how much he loved the sun till now.

"I can't remember the last time I was in the sun, breathing fresh air." Mokuba stopped licking him ice cream cone and turned towards his brother. Mokuba frowned with sorrow, and guilt.

"Gozaburo really doesn't let you do anything, does he?" Seto opened his eyes and looked ahead, the happiness from his eyes disappeared.

"I've got a pretty hectic schedule… you know, with all the tutors and professors I meet with every hour or so." Mokuba ate the last bit of his ice cream before throwing away the paper and standing in front of his brother.

"It's just not fair! You shouldn't be treated this way…" Seto ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

"Not this again, Mokuba…"

"This can't go on forever! We should do something!" Seto brought his hand back down and stood up.

"Like what? There's nothing we can do, okay? So just forget about it." Mokuba shook his head.

"There is something we can do." Seto stared at Mokuba, waiting for an answer. There was a pause. "We can report child abuse." There was a very awkward silence between the two of them. They both knew what the other was saying, but didn't want to address it.

"…No," Seto said calmly, after a couple moments in silence. Mokuba couldn't believe what he was hearing and reacted immediately.

"But Nii-sama, we can't live like this!" Seto gave a loud and angry sigh.

"I still have a lot to learn from him about being a CEO, about working in the business world." Mokuba couldn't believe what he was hearing. That was his brother's excuse? That was what was holding him back from getting out of the mess they were in? Mokuba didn't want to believe it, and he would try and make his brother think otherwise.

"Like what? How to be as evil and mean as him?"

"DON'T ruin this for me, Mokuba don't ruin the only chance I have. This is all I've got so just… don't," Seto had said sternly, looking away from his brother's bewildered eyes. What was his brother thinking? And why was he so determined? Was becoming the next CEO of Kaiba Corp. that important? Mokuba was starting to think that maybe he didn't know his brother anymore.

"I don't get it…" Seto placed his hand on Mokuba's shoulder.

"And even if I did try to explain, you never will. It's something…" Seto sighed and looked away, "Never mind. Let's not talk about this again today, alright?" Mokuba looked down and nodded.

"Yes Nii-sama…" Seto felt bad for bringing the mood down, but there was nothing else he could do. He had to stop the conversation before it had gotten any worse. But now Mokuba was sad and Seto felt terrible. Seto turned back towards the swing set behind him.

"Come on Mokuba, Hobson said he was going to be here soon. How about I push you for a little bit before we go?" Mokuba didn't say anything; however, he did walk over to the swing set Seto had been sitting on and sit on it himself. Seto walked behind him and began pushing him back and forth. Neither one of them said a thing more to each other for the rest of the afternoon at the park, until Hobson picked them up. The mood lightened up at that point and they continued to enjoy the day together.

* * *

Seto was staring at the board. He was staring at it long and hard. His eyes never seemed to lift from the playing field. He was in total concentration. Mokuba sat opposite from him, watching his brother intently for a sign. His brother had been like this for nearly a half hour. Seto hadn't said a word or moved a muscle during that time span. It amazed and frightened Mokuba to no end, but he dared not say a word to him to interrupt his thoughts.

There was a shift in movement. Mokuba practically jumped with fear when he had heard it, since the room had been so quiet for so long. He watched as his brother took up his arm and reached forward. He grabbed the tiny chess piece and slid it across the board. Mokuba sat there speechlessly, staring at the board. What did this mean?

"Checkmate." Mokuba's eyes widened.

"What?! No way!" Seto looked down at the board again to make sure, but the calculations this time were easy to make, and he nodded.

"Yes way. Checkmate." Mokuba stared at the board in disbelief.

"I can't believe it." Seto grinned.

"I've always been good at chess, don't you remember?"

"I remember; I'm just amazed you beat me. I was almost sure I was going to beat you!" Mokuba laughed and looked down at the board. "Good old Nii-sama, you have a way of tricking everyone." Seto had a smug look on his face.

"I do what I can." Mokuba laughed again.

"You want to play again?"

"Course, if you want me to. Let's set up the pieces."

"Okay!" Seto and Mokuba began gathering up the pieces and placing them in the correct order on the board again. Playing chess had been the brothers' favorite pass time, even when they were little kids. Seto had learned the rules of the game on his own, and had taught Mokuba immediately when the time came. Seto loved the game, and eventually he had taught his young brother to love it too. It was a game that kept them connected with their past.

Just as the final pieces were being put into place, the creaking of the door could be heard. Both brothers looking up from the playing field and over at the door to see who it was. A dark shadow was cast over the room when it was the one and only Gozaburo that had come to give them a visit.

"Good evening boys."

"Good evening," They both said, almost robotically. Mokuba looked down at the ground, trying not to look his step father directly in the eyes.

"Playing chess, I see." Seto nodded but said nothing. Gozaburo walked over to them and sat down on the floor. He looked at the chess board fondly. "Chess was always my favorite board game as a kid." Gozaburo turned to Seto, "I'm guessing it's always been your favorite pass time too, hasn't it?" Seto nodded once more, continuing to not verbally answer him.

Gozaburo's gaze turned back and fell on Mokuba. A sharp shiver was sent down Mokuba's back and his posture had straightened. His heart was already beginning to race, just by having Gozaburo near him.

"Happy birthday Mokuba. Have you had a fun day?" Mokuba gulped and nodded. Gozaburo smiled, but Mokuba didn't feel the kindness and honesty in the smile he saw. "Good." He replied.

"Thank you," Mokuba replied politely, hoping Gozaburo would understand that it was his cue to leave. But Gozaburo had no intention of leaving.

"July 7th…" Gozaburo turned to Seto, "Wasn't that also the day your mother died?" Seto was immediately filled with anger, while Mokuba's heart stopped. Seto was furious that Gozaburo would decide to bring up such a topic on this day. Seto didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to respond to it. Gozaburo waited for an answer. "Well?"

Seto had no other choice.

"…Yes," Seto said, regrettably.

"You know, I had a mother once," Gozaburo paused, "Let me tell you about her." Seto didn't like where this was going. But nothing could stop it. Nothing could stop Gozaburo from whatever evil story he had to tell. He would continue to say it no matter what Seto did; he would do so until the full effect of his tale had been distributed. There wasn't one thing Seto could do about it.

"It all began in this very house… the mansion the Kaiba family has lived in for the past fifty generations. This was the birth place of true power."

* * *

**A/N:**_ Hey guys, now before you say ANYTHING, Gozaburo's story WILL be told at the beginning of the next chapter, so don't you worry! I would've liked to have finished it in this chapter, but it seems everything else that has happened took up more room than I imagined it would. So sorry about that! But don't you fret, it's going to be an epic story! Oh, but before I forget, I wanted to say a couple things; technicalities, I suppose. So, in the Japanese series, Seto was adopted when he was 10, making Mokuba 5(explaining why he turned 6 in this chapter) I felt like a lot of what Mokuba said was really grown-up for a 6 year old, so I apologize for that. It can be hard for me to keep him more child-oriented when I'm use to him being older and more experienced and such. I just hope it wasn't too off-putting/illogical for anyone. Thanks for reading!_


	9. Nine

Lace Kyoko: Yay! That's usually my reasoning too, that Mokuba is just kind of an intelligent guy. I mean, you look at his brother and the fact that he's a prodigy and well… yeah. It all makes sense in the end. Here is the moment of truth, Gozaburo's story! Thanks so much for your review and enjoy the chapter!

Princess7Strawberry: Thank you so much! The Kaiba brothers did have to grow up fast. And adapting can only lead to maturation. I'm so honored to have helped you rediscover your love for this fandom! You have no idea how happy that makes me. This series has really helped me through a lot of dark times and it's just plain enjoyable! Overall, thank you so much for a wonderfully written, heart felt review! It really made my day. Enjoy the chapter!

Patriot16: Thanks for the review! I know; Gozaburo is such a jerk when it comes down to it. Just wait until you hear his story! Enjoy the chapter!

WhiteAsukalover: Noah will be referenced, but not technically in the story. I'm trying to stick to the facts of their childhood, really, and since they technically didn't learn about Noah's existence till Season 3, it would be going off track to say that they found out about him. But I do slightly reference him. You'll see what I mean soon. Thanks again for the review!

KatrinaKaiba: I think you'll enjoy Gozaburo's story(in a weird way) I'm sorry for not updating quickly. I leave an apology in my author's note for that one. Hopefully the wait didn't kill you though(although it did kill me to some extent) Thanks for your review! Enjoy the chapter!

MythCreatorWriter: Oh my! I didn't notice how many reviews I had for the last chapter till now. That's crazy! Yeah, Mokuba being mature due to his circumstances in the past is what I've always thought myself, but you know how the logical people are. Gozaburo ruins everything. Gozaburo killed my dog! His name was Guy. Gozaburo's story is quite interesting, I think you'll like it! I liked it. But then again it's my story… now I just sound like a cocky jerk. I love relaxing in the sun! And you should get that CD I was talking about earlier. It's fantastic, and it got me through middle school. Thanks for the review! Enjoy the chapter!

Kukki Boo: You don't like the MUSIC TO DUEL BY CD?! Why? I love that CD! That CD made middle school livable for me! I think you should at least give it a try before ignoring it. It really is a fantastic piece of work, I think. But anyhow, your suggestion kind of confused me, but I'm sort of slow when it comes to… well, a lot of things, so sometime I'll get my friend to try and explain it to me. Hopefully I didn't do too much of what I did last time in this chapter! I was thinking about it and trying not to, but its hard when you're not sure what it is. Anyways, thanks for the review! Sorry for the wait! Enjoy the chapter!

Nine

Mokuba fiddled with the pawn on the chess board with his finger. The boy was staring very intently at the board itself, trying desperately to avoid his step father's piercing and condescending eyes. Seto sat motionless across from his younger brother, his hands tucked underneath his legs, but his eyes also looking away from the old man in front of him.

Gozaburo made his way to the other side of the room and sat down in the chair at Mokuba's desk. He turned his body so that he was still directed towards the two. He crossed his legs in a professional way, as if he were in some sort of business meeting. He cleared his throat and sighed.

"I had a mother once… she was beautiful, and elegant. She was the perfect woman in many senses judging by her good looks, her fantastic cooking skills, and her top notch mothering techniques. But there was one thing my mother wasn't… one thing that seemed to take away from her many brilliant qualities…" Seto looked up and stared at Gozaburo. He didn't like where Gozaburo was getting at, but at the same time, he wasn't exactly sure what he was getting at.

"My mother had a problem with my father's workaholic ways. She didn't understand the type of work that was required for a man with his kind of power. She would always demand that he be home at a certain time and give him hell if he didn't obey her. I could tell my father grew tire of her every night the minute he stepped through the door and heard her calling his name.

"But no matter how annoying she became, he didn't divorce her. I supposed it was because the Kaibas never believed in divorce, that when they pick their mate, they feel the need to stick with them till the very end, even if it means gritting the teeth and bearing with the most annoying woman in the world.

"Because of this, I began to see less and less of my father. I had always figured it was because he wanted to get away from my mother, and I could no longer stand around. Something had to be done about it." Seto looked up at Gozaburo, curious to know what kind of plan he had in mind as a child. Seto began to ponder the idea of Gozaburo actually being a child, being innocent. Had there ever been such a time? With Gozaburo, it was hard to believe.

"One day my father had come home early, mainly because Mother had phoned him and said she would be out for a walk. If my father wasn't at work, he was in his office. He would only emerge at times where he was certain my mother wasn't around. He had tossed me the keys to the car that day and asked me to lock the car for him. I had done as he asked and went outside.

"Cars use to fascinate me as a child, so whatever opportunity I could get, I would sit in the driver's seat of the car and just imagine myself driving it. From observing my parents and how they drove, I had all the knowledge I would have needed to drive the car anywhere I wanted, but I simply wasn't old enough. After a couple minutes went by, I heard my mother power walking towards the driveway. A special idea came to mind, and suddenly I put in the keys to the ignition and turned the car on.

"I kept my head down low, in order to make sure my mother didn't spot me while I spied on her through the rear-view mirror. I saw my once in a lifetime opportunity; she had bent over to pick up the newspaper that was lying in the middle of the driveway. Without really thinking, I put the car into reverse and slammed my foot on the pedal." Seto heard his brother gasp and turned his head. Mokuba's eyes stared blankly at Gozaburo, the pawn he had been fiddling with fell on its side. Mokuba was frozen.

Gozaburo continued, "I had hit her at just the right angle. With the quick, but fast speed I went at, the bumper of the car had collided with her just as she had been bending back up with the newspaper in hand. The impact had sent her flying to the ground and caused her to snap her neck. She died instantly.

"The situation went just as smoothly as my plan had. I had pleaded I 'didn't know what I was doing,' therefore her death had been classified as confidential. My father had looked shocked and torn with pain, but I knew him better than that. A few months later he re-married a woman half his age, but more obedient and quiet than my mother ever was-"

"What is the purpose of this story?" Seto asked in a loud, but controlled voice. Gozaburo looked at him. "Why are you telling this to us? What's the point?" Seto asked, again with a loud and commanding voice. Gozaburo shrugged.

"I felt the story was appropriate," Gozaburo said, turning to Mokuba, "After all, I feel it is one of the few things Mokuba and I have in common." Seto gritted his teeth. Mokuba was staring at the ground in shock. He didn't know what to think.

"How do you figure that?" Seto questioned.

"Mokuba and I were both involved with our mothers' deaths." That was the last straw. Seto jumped to his feet and glared at Gozaburo.

"Mokuba's involvement with our mother's death isn't even close to resembling what you did to your mother! Our mother died in child birth, Mokuba didn't do anything! You killed your mother!" Seto full-fledged yelled now. He wasn't going to take this from Gozaburo, and he wasn't going to have his step father poison Mokuba's mind with such evil thoughts. Seto just couldn't allow it.

"Are they really all that different? After all, what happened to my mother was just an 'accident.'"

"You murdered her! You knew she was there and you were fully aware of what you were doing! Our mother's death is the only thing that should be considered an accident; Mokuba had nothing to do with what happened!" Gozaburo got up from his seat and walked over to Seto. He placed a firm hand on Seto's shoulder and clenched his fingers tightly. Seto winced a little, but showed no sign of weakness as Gozaburo bent forward to look the boy in the face.

"Let this be the next lesson you must learn; there are no accidents." Gozaburo turned away and walked out of the room. He didn't bother to see what condition the boys were in, and he hadn't even snuck a peek to see Mokuba's terrified face. He already had a picture in his mind, and the image in his head made him chuckle as he walked out the door. Gozaburo left the Kaiba Brothers as he always seemed to; ashamed and mortified.

Seto looked back over at his brother immediately.

"Mokuba, its not-" Tears were already streaming down the boy's face. There were barely any words that could truly describe the look on the boy's face. Seto had seen his brother cry so many times before in the past. None of those times could compare to the way he looked from across the room, standing there, in his own pit of shame and regret. Gozaburo was taking down Mokuba's last line of defense; breaking the wall that preserved his will to live, to exist.

Seto gulped, feeling his own urge to tear up and cry beside him. No matter how hard he tried, though, Seto would never be able to cry with his brother. Since the day his father died, he had lost the ability to cry. Seto felt guilty because of this inability to produce tears of his own, because when his brother would cry and Seto wouldn't, it really seemed to disconnect the two. It gave Seto the impression that Mokuba was facing all these emotions all by himself, while Seto could only watch helplessly from the sidelines. Although Seto felt useless in many senses, he always felt the need to try and help his brother through the pain, in whatever what he could.

Even with just a simple hug.

"Mokuba…" Seto said again, moving towards him, stretching out his arms towards him. Mokuba backed away as Seto approached him, shaking his head back and forth. Seto insisted that Mokuba come towards him. "Don't believe what he says to you… he's lying…" Mokuba's head continued to shake, back and forth.

"Just… leave me alone."

"Mokuba…" Still Seto attempted to come near the boy and pull him into a hug. Just as he inched close enough, Mokuba dove under his arms and darted out of the room. "Mokuba! Wait! Where are you going?" Mokuba was gone, and running as fast as he could. He tried to keep his balance, even with tears blurring his vision, and his sobbing making it hard to run efficiently. Mokuba could hear his brother's foot steps following him, which only made Mokuba run faster.

Mokuba took a different route than usual. Instead of taking the largest of the many stairways in the Kaiba Mansion that was the most frequently used, he took another turn down a side hallway. He didn't slow down his pace as he did. He found another hallway, and a door at the end of it. It was to the left, in the dark corner of the dead end. Mokuba rushed towards it, gripping the handle and slipping into without another thought. Mokuba heard his brother's footsteps become loud then slip away just as quickly. Mokuba let out a sigh of relief. He needed to be alone.

Mokuba sat down in silence on the steps, letting the tears flow freely now that he was not in motion or forced to move quickly. It was strange, because even though he had managed to get out of sight and free to cry in peace, the tears stopped flowing and ceased to be released. Mokuba looked down at the ground angrily. He hated himself for being so weak. He hated being so vulnerable.

Mokuba wiped the last of the tears that was on his face. He got up from the top step he had been sitting on and searched for a light switch along the wall. His hand eventually felt the switch of the light and flicked it on. The light came on and revealed the staircase that went into a deep, dark room below. Mokuba stared at it with curiosity. He had never seen this staircase before, and had been completely unaware that the Kaiba Mansion even had a basement. Mokuba had to see more.

Mokuba slipped down the silent steps down to the basement that lay below. Although the stairs themselves seemed to be decrepit in their own way, when Mokuba finally made it into the room, the room looked re-done and brand new. The floor looked as though it had just been newly tiled, not to mention all the technology that filled the room itself. Now that Mokuba really observed it, it didn't seem like much of a basement at all, but more like a laboratory.

Mokuba's eyes wandered all across the room. Everywhere he looked, there were wires, computers, monitors, and in the very middle was one giant computer screen, in front of a large computer sphere. The sphere seemed to be some sort of massive computer network, connected to all of the wires that could be found spread out across the room. Mokuba's sadness had been soon forgotten when his eyes lay upon this.

Mokuba bent down and picked up one of the chords. It was clear that one end of the chord went into the super computer sphere at the end of the lab, but where did it hook up to? Mokuba turned all the way around to the other corner and found some sort of tank connected to it. It was clear that something was floating inside. Mokuba's eyes widened. He didn't know what that was, but his innocent six year old mind was already starting to flood with crazy and exciting ideas.

Mokuba began walking towards it, his jaw half open, with the chord still in hand. As he walked closer, he let the chord lead most of the way. His feet stepped through wires carelessly and without catching his attention, his leg got entangled in one. He continued to walk forward, until he made his next step, and all went dark. The power went completely out. Mokuba snapped back to reality and was immediately frightened by the circumstance. He screamed.

Mokuba stood completely still, wishing the darkness would go away. Mokuba had always been afraid of the dark, especially when he was in a place he that was unfamiliar. Mokuba looked all around for a sign, a signal… he wanted to get out of there, but he didn't know how. He was so scared. He just wanted to…

The lights came back on after what seemed like hours of total darkness. Mokuba felt so relieved. That was until he looked up and saw what was standing in front of the mysterious tank he had been walking towards earlier. Mokuba instantly dropped the cord he had been holding to the ground. He would've traded his current predicament for being in the dark, as of that very instant. His heart had stopped beating altogether. He was scared beyond comprehension.

It was Gozaburo, in all his glory, standing over him like a hawk, furious.

"WHAT do you think you're doing?" Mokuba said nothing, he was too afraid. "WHAT were you doing, snooping around here?" Mokuba was quiet. Mokuba was so scared, he already felt dead inside. "Do you know what could've happened had I not been able to turn on the back up generator? DO YOU??" Mokuba was shaking. He wanted to run. His fight or flight was kicking in. He would've flown out of there in seconds if he could feel his legs.

"It was… just… an accident…" Mokuba choked out. Then something snapped. Mokuba could see it on Gozaburo's face. It was the word 'accident' that had done it, Mokuba was sure.

"You expect me to believe that?" Gozaburo cracked his knuckles, "It's about time I give you what you deserve." Mokuba's body came back online. His legs became unglued to the floor, but it wasn't enough. Gozaburo caught him before he could get very far. And Mokuba screamed. He screamed louder than he ever had in his life.

A floor or two above, Seto stopped what he was doing. He had heard the scream. His brother was in trouble. He had to do something.

Seto took off down the stairs.

* * *

**A/N:** _Hey guys! So I'm sure you're all wondering what on earth took me so long! Well, some reviewers of mine requested that I stop being such a crack head and take a break from writing, just to give them time to review and catch up, while hopefully I would take that time to do some of my homework. Well, turned out neither happened, but THAT'S okay, because at least it gave me time to THINK about doing my homework;) Anyways, I know, it's been forever, but hopefully the cliff hanger of the century has you on the edge of your seats, wondering what will happen next rather than how you plan to gut me the next time you see me! Or at least review hahaha. At some parts of this chapter, I felt REALLY confident about, but others I didn't feel so swell. But hopefully you guys saw some good in it overall! You guys are great! And thanks for being so patient and understanding, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!_


	10. Ten

MythCreatorWriter: Yeah, usually I feel a little queasy too when I think about how alike Seto and Gozaburo are in reality. It's kind of scary. I do think that Gozaburo is truly a blackened human being, kind of like Hitler or Sadaam Hussein. Just those kind of guys who were bad to the core, ya know? I think, when it comes down to it all, the major, major different between Seto and Gozaburo is the fact that Seto has a sense of honor and greater good that Gozaburo never seemed to have. Because when it comes down to it, Seto is a good human being. He just has a VERY hard time showing it. Actually a lot of what I'm saying right now will be coming up in this very chapter, so be excited!:) I laughed when you thought he was going into the Batcave or whatever, but then frowned when you said "Oh…" to Noah. Is Noah not exciting anymore? Hahaha. Oh, and Gozaburo doesn't care about Noah, I forgot to add this in to my last chapter even though I really should have; I wanted to put in at the beginning of my last chapter the word "Scapegoat" and put in it's definition too. Because basically Mokuba is a scapegoat that Gozaburo just wants to be able to pound. Don't ask why, I suppose it goes into the fact that he's just a Japanese Hitler. Anyway, I should probably end this now, but thanks for your review!

Princess7Strawberry: Oh, well I'm quite the quick updater, you'll soon find as you continue to read my story. I know I've been kinda lagging lately(5 days actually is a slow update for me, if you talk to any of my other reviewers, but I think I like having this much time to write up a chapter) but yeah, usually I'm a very fast writer! No prob, reviewers like you encourage me to write review replies! Actually, I remember the first time I started writing review replies(that's another thing you'll learn about me, sometimes I go off on short, random stories while writing replies) I was reading this awesome story and the writer would include review replies like I did(although the writer would only do it once and a while, not every chapter like I do) But I remember reading his short one line reply to me and feeling like the coolest kid in the world! So I started doing it myself because I thought, 'Well, my reviewers are cool and should feel cool too!' So that's why I do them:3 As for the rest of your review, I was also in a dark place when YGO first came out, and sometimes I feel it's the only thing that got me through those dark times. I think I actually posted once, it's deleted now, a poem just about how YGO saved me from pretty much everything. WOAH, this is getting long! Anyhow, I'm really glad you're liking the story and that you're digging my original back story as well. Thanks for your review and enjoy!:D

WhiteAsukalover: Oh no is correct! D: Thanks for the review!:p

KatrinaKaiba: Hahaha, okay, so I have to tell you; when I read the first part of your review, I was actually really scared that you were mad at me! I started thinking to myself, 'Oh crap Kari, now you've really done it! You've pissed a reviewer off, what the hell are you going to do? You thought it would never happen, but it did.' Random thoughts like that. Then my reaction was 'Phew' when I read the rest of it. I really thought you were mad at me, lol! Thanks for the review! Enjoy the chapter!

Sonny131: If you thought that last chapter was good, wait until you sink your teeth into this one!:D Thanks for the review!

Lace Kyoko: Oh my gosh, I'm Seto Kaiba like that too! It's hard for me to cry as well, and if I do feel like crying… man, I just don't like it! Gozaburo is a failure McFailFail. But I better run soon so you can read the chapter. Thanks for the review!

QuidditchWorldChamp: I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Thanks for your review!

AmePiper: Yay for Ame's reviews!!!:3 I loved them all! You have this godly ability to compact both constructive and complementary comments into such small reviews! Seriously, I felt all of those reviews were so fulfilling and awesome! I didn't feel that they were unhelpful at all! Now my review reply will also have to be small and compact considering how long so many of my others are that I feel I might not even get to the story. In that one review where you said "Broke Mokuba" I was just like "hahaha, it's like breaking a squeaky toy, you can never quite get it to squeak again once you break it" and it made me chuckle in a sketchy sadistic way… hahaha. And I should seriously consider keeping a record of how many times people call Gozaburo an asshole or a bastard, because it's starting to be a lot! Don't worry, I have THEE greatest epic death planned out for Gozaburo, don't you forget it;) And baby, if it was legal and if I was sober, I would marry your voice so fast you wouldn't even be able to say "Bloody hell, that's fast!" in your sexy ass voice;) And dang, was that line, 'Do I haunt you in your sleep?' really in chapter 6? Gosh, how forward;.; Hahaha, anyways, I'm sure my inbox is chalk full of all your other reviews and I can barely wait to see them! Thanks so much for all of your great reviews, I hope you don't hate me for updating again!:p

_Warning: This chapter does tend to get a wee bit violent. Please keep away all small children, or simply children who resemble Mokuba in general. I don't think this chapter is too graphic, but it is a bit violent! Just a warning for all of you!_

Ten

Running and running. That's all he could do. Putting one leg in front of the other in a fast motion had become an automatic process for Mokuba. He no longer had to think about it anymore. It was probably because the only thing he could really think about was the rather large, 45 year old man chasing closely behind him. Mokuba was almost positive that the man had the intention of killing him, which only made the young, 6 year old boy run faster. It was a miracle he hadn't been caught yet.

"GET BACK HERE!" Mokuba ran faster at the sound of Gozaburo's voice. It seemed his footsteps grew louder and louder by the minute. The old man was catching up to him. Gozaburo was going to catch him! Mokuba tried to make his body run faster, but it was no use. His body couldn't go faster. This was it. It was done. Mokuba found that his body had begun to grow tire as well, and his legs started to lose their strength. His body began to slow, and the end was near.

Mokuba looked up to see a slightly ajar door at the end of the hallway. And that was all Mokuba would need. Something told him if he could get through that doorway, make it to the other side, and close the door… he would be safe. He could be safe. It was a chance, only a chance. His body continued to decrease his speed as his legs grew more and more tired.

"ALMOST HAVE YOU!" Gozaburo declared. Mokuba looked up. He was almost there. He was almost… Mokuba's mind went blank. It was like the entire scene vanished from his vision and from his head. Mokuba no longer felt like he was running from anything anymore. Mokuba felt as though he were having one of those crystallizing moments where his whole life flashed before his eyes.

But oddly enough… all the flashbacks were about Seto. He thought about the orphanage… about the plans to make a theme park for orphans all around the world… the way his brother use to smile before they came to this place. A billion thoughts and images were flashing through Mokuba's head, and every single one of them was about Seto. Mokuba's older brother… his best friend. In a way Seto was his father. The only father Mokuba could really say he ever had.

Seto…

"GOTCHA!" Mokuba snapped back to reality, just as he tripped on his own two feet and fell to the ground. His face smacked against the floor, and his arm was twisted in an awkward direction. Mokuba yelled in agony from the pain in his arm. Mokuba's eyes opened… his head had landed in the middle of the doorway. He had almost made it. He almost made it. He heard the roaring footsteps again, and suddenly Gozaburo appeared hovering over him.

"You're a quick little bastard, aren't you? Well, not anymore." Gozaburo grabbed Mokuba firmly by the twisted arm. Mokuba yelped again with pain, only to receive a big slap to the face from Gozaburo. Mokuba could feel blood trickle down from his nose. "Oh Mokuba… did you really believe you were going to be able to out run me?" Mokuba was quiet, trying his best to muffle his own screams of agony considering how much pain he was suffering from Gozaburo holding him up by the arm.

"Did you??" Gozaburo yelled. Mokuba flinched as he did, he could feel tears wetting his eyes. Gozaburo thrust Mokuba up and twisted him around, throwing him against the wall. Mokuba yelled again. Gozaburo walked over to him and kicked him in the side. "You've been running on my last nerve, you know that? I was trying to be open minded, I was trying to be forgiving… but walking into MY basement where MY-" Gozaburo hesitated for a moment. Mokuba looked up at the man with curiosity. What had been down there?

Gozaburo must've had a third sense because when he looked down into Mokuba's eyes, it was like he was able to read Mokuba's very thoughts. The question Mokuba asked in his head seemed to anger Gozaburo so much that he kicked him in the stomach once more, but from a different angle.

"MY things… Look buddy, if I was you, I'd lay there, sit tight, and take what I'm about to give you. You were never meant to be adopted. You serve NO purpose in this company or what it stands for. As far as I'm concerned, you're WORTHLESS," Now Mokuba let his tears flow freely, but he wasn't sure if it was from Gozaburo's words of from the pain, "But if you take this… I might just give you another chance to prove your worth. After all, you mean nothing… so what is there to lose?"

"LEAVE him ALONE." And out of the darkness came a new light. Out of the corner of his eye, Mokuba knew exactly the one person who dared to defy Gozaburo's command. Mokuba couldn't believe it, but at least he knew exactly who had come to his rescue. Now all Mokuba could find himself wondering was what the consequences would be if he were to interfere…

"Excuse me?" Gozaburo turned around to see a small and noble ten year old standing on the other side of the hallway. He was tiny in size, but his eyes burned with a fire ready to cause all sorts of havoc. Seto Kaiba had been through with dealing with Gozaburo. This was it.

"I won't stand by and let you hurt my brother anymore. If you're that desperate for a good beating, why not beat on me?" Mokuba's head lifted up and looked over at his older brother, terrified. Didn't Seto know what he was getting himself into? The fact that he was defying Gozaburo guaranteed he would be getting a harsh beating already, but to challenge him like that? Mokuba had a feeling Gozaburo would take this opportunity to beat Seto down to a pulp.

Gozaburo turned around to face his step son, and began to laugh.

"YOU'RE telling ME to beat you up? Seto, I thought you were smarter than that." Seto's eyes were trying to focus on Gozaburo, but kept wandering back to Mokuba, whom still lay against the wall on the ground. Seto looked at his younger brother sternly and took a deep breath as Gozaburo inched closer to him.

"Mokuba, get out of here. Save yourself while you still can." Mokuba got up from the ground, but didn't plan on running.

"Nii-sama, no. I won't leave you alone with him. Let him hurt me and you run." Gozaburo froze and turned back towards Mokuba. It brought him such joy just hearing the argument between the two brothers. It would make the beating so much more enjoyable.

"I'm not going to argue with you, Mokuba. Get out of here."

"No way, I'm not going to leave you. You should run."

"Mokuba, I am you're older brother, now get out of here!" Mokuba was a little in shock to hear his brother yell at him with such a loud tone. Seto had never once yelled at Mokuba in his life. The desperate fear could be heard quivering in his yells. Seto was scared. Mokuba hadn't seen it before in his life, but his older brother was really scared. That was the cue that told him he had to leave, that it wasn't a fight worth sticking around for.

"Hold it right there," Gozaburo stated just as Mokuba was about to make a run for it. Gozaburo swung his leg around and smacked it right into Mokuba's leg. Mokuba froze up in the air just before falling to the ground in pain. Mokuba curled up into a fetal position, screaming in pain as he held his leg. "You wouldn't want to miss the show, would you?" Gozaburo asked to Mokuba.

"It'll be the first time Seto will truly learn what it means to lose to someone simply better than him." Seto growled in anger and began shouting.

"I WON'T LOSE." Seto jumped forward and latched his arms around his step father's neck from behind him. Gozaburo's body swayed a bit from surprise, but Gozaburo quickly regained control of the fight. Gozaburo locked his arms in place, just as he threw his back into the wall, crushing Seto's body that was stuck in the middle. Seto yelled in pain and let go of Gozaburo's neck. Gozaburo pulled away and let Seto slide to the ground.

"Rule number one for fighting an opponent, always take into account the person you're facing's strengths and weaknesses. In this case, I'm taller and stronger than you." Seto was back up on his feet, though, fuming with rage. The anger that was boiling inside was the only thing that kept him going as he ran in to strike Gozaburo once more. Gozaburo shook his head in shame, not at all fazed by Seto's charging attack. "That's rule number two, Seto."

Seto dove forward to hit Gozaburo in the chest head on, but was greeted with Gozaburo's fist in his own stomach. The punch hurt even more than the last time Gozaburo had struck him there, Seto could feel trickles of saliva mixed with blood trickle down the sides of his mouth. Seto remained frozen in his pained position, Gozaburo's punch still locked into Seto's stomach. "The second rule being, never attack an opponent out of rage. If you get angry in a fight, you're more likely to make an obvious mistake and have your own attack turned against you."

Gozaburo pulled back his fist and let Seto drop into his arms. Seto's entire body was paralyzed; his brain couldn't seem to force his limbs to move. Gozaburo held the limp body by the shoulders, with his feet dangling onto the ground. Mokuba was still in massive pain, but had been watching the fight… in horror. But now, it seemed, it was all over and that Gozaburo had ended the fight for himself. Mokuba was just glad it was all over.

Gozaburo bent forward and whispered into Seto's ear, "This will be your final lesson when it comes to fighting; expect no mercy from the victor if you should lose in any sort of fight." Gozaburo switched from holding Seto's shoulders to holding both side of Seto's skull before bashing his knee right in the boy's face. Just as Seto was coming back from his second blow to the stomach, his face was greeted with Gozaburo's knee, and his body thrown against the wall, along side the same mess that was his second brother.

Gozaburo didn't seem to tire at all from the fight, calmly straightened his tie and suit. He glanced down at the two mangled boys that were leaning against the wall. Mokuba had moved over to where his brother was, hovering over him with tears down his face, asking Seto if he was okay. Gozaburo didn't say anything more, and left them alone in the hallway. Mokuba stared at his brother, softly shaking him to see if he would awaken.

"Nii… sama…" Mokuba choked out between sobs, "Nii-sama… please…" Mokuba buried his head in his brother's sleeve, "Don't be dead… don't be dead…" Mokuba continue to whisper what he thought were hopeless wishes to his older brother as he lay passed out on the floor. But after a couple moments, Seto's eyes finally fluttered open. His vision was blurry at first, but he sat up.

"OW!" Seto yelled, when he had first sat up. His body was in massive pain, especially his skull and stomach. Seto wasn't sure which hurt more. Seto felt his forward, his wound immediately stung with pain when he had. It was already beginning to swell. Seto looked at his shaking hands, before turning towards his tear-stained brother. "You… okay?" Seto asked, out of breath. Mokuba began sobbing even more, hiding his face in his brother's sleeve again.

"How can you ask something like that when Gozaburo did such terrible things to you?" Mokuba choked out. Seto let the boy cry for a while, using his right hand to gently pet his brother's arm in comfort. "I'm scared Nii-sama… I'm so scared… If he keeps doing this to you, I'm scared you might…" Mokuba sobbed so more, as he realized he was at a loss of words. Seto knew exactly what he was insinuating though, and Seto could understand his brother's fear.

"We have to keep fighting, Mokuba… that's all we can do now. I got us into this mess, and… I'm sorry for that, but… now that we are, we simply can't runaway. We can't continue living our life by hiding away from our problems; we must face them head on to win every battle." Mokuba understood that his brother had always been just as determined as he was stubborn, but he couldn't help but wonder if his brother realized this situation was so much different than anything else they had ever faced.

Didn't Seto realize what Gozaburo was doing to him?

"Nii-sama, I just don't see why we can't runaway just this once…" Mokuba pleased in despair, "This is too much, and we shouldn't live like this." Seto turned his head towards Mokuba, and despite the horrid condition his entire face was in, Seto's wounds didn't distract Mokuba from looking directly into his eyes for the first time in a long time. His eye color had changed from the bright blue that they use to be.

Seto's eyes use to remind Mokuba of the roaring waves of an ocean on a beautiful, hot summer's day. But his eyes were, instead, a darker, icy color. As if winter had comes and frozen over the entire ocean, completely changing it from what it was or used to be. It frightened and confused Mokuba.

"I'll tell you why, Mokuba. Because life is a game and if you're not in it to win it, then you might as well pack up and go home." Mokuba's heart seemed to stop the moment he had heard those words come out of his mouth. He had… heard that phrase from somewhere, from someone. Mokuba had an idea of who it might be, but… he didn't want to say it. It scared Mokuba to even believe it.

The brothers said nothing to each other, and continued to sit against the wall in the hallway until their strength had returned to help them to get up. But Mokuba's mind would keep going back into circles about his brother's transformation, about what he was becoming. The reason Seto didn't want to runaway was because he couldn't runaway. All the pieces were falling into place and pointing towards the fact that Seto was turning into the very man he despised.

He was starting to become Gozaburo.

* * *

**A/N;** _Uh oh, spaghetti-o's! Okay, WOW, that comment really didn't flow with the sentence I just left right there. But man oh man, wasn't that INTENSE?! That was crazy! I have been working on this chapter for a while now, and it seems like it really came together well! At the same time, it was slightly frightening. Oh, and I hope this chapter wasn't TOO graphic for any of you guys. I didn't think it was since it only took two blows to knock Seto to the ground, but still, you never know who has a weak stomach out there! Anyways, so next chapter we should be moving a bit more forward in time, possibly a year or so, so watch out for that. I think I'll mention it at the beginning of the chapter to let you know, but I felt this was a good place to sort of jump forward in time a bit to some later years in the Kaiba Mansion. Thanks for reading and I hope you liked the chapter! _

_P.S: I always write a P.S… I wonder when I'll just be satisfied with the note I write. Anyhow, so I was quickly skimming my chapter and I came across when Gozaburo said "GOTCHA!" and immediately thought of Gozaburo dressed up as Ash and Mokuba dressed up to look like Pikachu! It was both frightening and adorable at the same time!:3 Sorry, that was random._


	11. Eleven

AmePiper: Give it up, cause now I'm BACK! Hahaha, yes, YGO CD reference… you know you love it :3 But anyways, onward to your lovely first review, my darling!:] I'm glad you liked that line, it has always been the internal description I would use for Seto's eyes. It's nice to know that it has a great ring on paper too! And oh my gosh, I'm re-reading through this fantastic review you gave me and finding my heart just lifted with joy. You make me so happy, and I honestly think you give me much too much credit than I'm worth! I mean, seriously, your review is so beautifully written, it's almost as if you are the writer and I should be the pupil!(lol, if that made ANY sense at all, which I'm sure it didn't) And you should hear me say that! We most certainly need to talk again, my English love! I can't wait to hear from you again, but for now, thanks so much for the wonderfully written review! It has made my day!

Lil girl pink: Might I say that "Shit son!" has been the greatest opening to a review I have ever received? Hahahaha, I loved it! Mokuba will be okay… we hope. Hahaha. And wait, Seto meets a cute boy? Yeah… I'm sorry to say, but there isn't any yaoi to be found here.(at least not in this story;]) Hahaha, thanks so much for your kind words and your lovely review! Enjoy the chapter!

MythCreatorWriter: Yep, Seto Kaiba most certainly is something else. But oh! In random news, don't you love the fact that the very first day back to school, I get the inspiration to finish this?! Something tells me I'm going to have an even stronger inspiration to write the next chapter of Consequences!:D This makes for a very happy Kari. Yeah, most of Gozaburo's lessons are true for the real world and for life, but the fact that Gozaburo is the one giving the lesson kind of makes you want to runaway and never take his advice. I loved your line "He should just kill himself" Wouldn't life be easier if that just happened? Hahahaha, don't worry though, he will… eventually :] It's actually going to be a pretty epic chapter too, so you may be surprised and a bit astonished by what I have in store for that scene! I'm so happy you liked the chapter, and thanks so much for the review!(Not to mention your lovely PMs which made me feel so much better about life in general) I hope you enjoy this belated chapter, my friend!

Patriot16: You can say that again! Thanks for the review!

Lace Kyoko: I think that's what everyone thinks of Gozaburo as(a bastard, that is;]) And he is. I hate the guy, but oh man, I never realized how fun he is to write! In my past stories I have merely referenced him, or written very, very short scenes with him. But because this story is so focused around him, I've really gotten a chance to enjoy his character. He's devilishly cheesy! Hahaha, I'm a dork:p AND OMFG, I'm SO excited that inspired you to draw a picture!!!! Seriously, the moment you're done with it, PM ME! I must see!(hahaha, it sounds like a great photo actually! I might even frame it when you send it to me :3) Please do send me your deviantart account, I would love to see that photo! Thanks for your review, enjoy the chapter!

WhiteAsukalover: Um, my parents never loved me so I take out my anger on the Kaiba brothers? Just kidding, my parents love me. But I have had some dark times. Maybe that's why I enjoy torturing them… hahaha. Anyways, thanks for the review!

KatrinaKaiba: I know! And now I'm updating this story AGAIN before Consequences! Aren't you proud of me? Yay! I loved your short but fillng response to my last chapter. It was frank and well put, I liked it a lot. Thanks so much for it! I hope you enjoy this largely belated chapter! Thinking of you when I update this story first, as always, so I hope you like it!!!

Princess7Strawberry: It's alright with the belated review, because this has been a very belated update! I mean, I'm really embarrassed about how slow I've been with updates! But thankfully I have got my groove back and I'm ready to roll on with the stories! Thanks for your review, enjoy the much more belated chapter!

SereneShadows: My darling! I was wondering where you had been! I'm always happy to get a long review from you though :3 It's fine! I very much don't mind the long or short reviews. A review itself is enough to put a smile on my face, especially when it's from you! I'm afraid to say I won't be able to answer all of your mini reviews, but I'm sure you understand. But I'll give quick responses to some of them! And the reviews I send you are much deserved, my dear, and do let me know when you're going to be updating your story next! I'll be sure to be the first to review once more :] I didn't know it was possible to make Gozaburo more evil, I must be a good writer then, huh? Hah. And I love that CD too, it's my life!:D I'm really anxious to proof read this baby and post it on the net, I hope you'll forgive me for giving a not-so-very-fulfilling response to your wonderful review! But I hope you enjoy the chapter all the same!

_Hey guys, long time no read, huh? Well, here it is, the next chapter! Now, as I mentioned before, this takes place three years into the future. I decided to indicate this as well as their names by using the Full-Metal Alchemist thing that they did on the very first episode, just because :3 I thought it was quite fitting. Anyways, do enjoy this belated chapter! Thanks for your patience!_

Eleven

_Older brother: Age Thirteen… Young Brother: Age Eight_

"Ow," Mokuba whimpered, flinching a bit. Seto didn't look up from what he was doing.

"If you wouldn't move, it wouldn't hurt." Mokuba let out a loud sigh.

"If I didn't have to get dressed up in a suit, I wouldn't get hurt." Seto finished by buttoning up the last button and then standing back up.

"There. All done." Mokuba looked down at himself and frowned. He hated getting dressed up. It always made him feel so uncomfortable and… weird looking. Mokuba looked at his brother desperately just as Seto turned towards the mirror to straighten his own suit he had on.

"Do I really have to go to this boring party?"

"Yes Mokuba, we already talked about this." Mokuba walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it. Mokuba rested his head in his hands and looked down with boredom. This party was going to suck so bad, Mokuba was already bored of the idea of it. He really didn't see why he had to go to this thing in the first place.

"Why do I even have to go?" Mokuba asked, looking up and saying his thoughts out loud, "I mean; you're the next heir to the company, why would he want me to come along?" Seto didn't look away from the mirror as he was tying a tie around his neck.

"Because we're the Kaiba Brothers, you know that. Gozaburo takes us to all of his business gatherings." Mokuba rolled his eyes. He didn't see that response as a logical explanation for why he had to tag along anyway. All the parties they had ever gone to, Seto was always in the spotlight anyway. And it wasn't like Gozaburo even cared about Mokuba when it really came down to it. He just wanted to improve his public image and seem like an even more 'down to earth' man by having adopted two boys from an orphanage.

In the end, what it all came down to was public image and nothing else. That was all Gozaburo ever cared about in the long run whenever they managed to travel outside of the Kaiba Mansion.

Mokuba lay back flat on the bed. "The Kaiba Brothers… pfff, yeah right. You say that like we're famous or something. It's not like we're the Mario Brothers or anything. We're just brothers who happened to be adopted by a guy named Kaiba." Seto turned Mokuba's way.

"If you haven't noticed, Gozaburo Kaiba is one of the most powerful men in the world."

"So I have noticed… doesn't make him any less of a jerk," Mokuba sat up, staring at his brother, "And since when do you talk about Gozaburo like he's just another guy? If you ask me, he's evil enough to be the devil." Seto turned back towards the mirror and continued to fiddle with his tie. It had been tied completely at this point, but now it seemed Seto was just trying to burn off nervous energy from the awkward conversation he was having. He gave a deep sigh and let his shoulders drop.

"I guess I'm just tired of fighting." Both the idea and the statement made Mokuba chuckle.

"Seto Kaiba? Tired of fighting?" Seto looked at Mokuba's reflection in the mirror and gave a tired smile.

"It could happen." Mokuba looked at him in disbelief.

"Was that after you suffered massive head trauma from him bashing you in the head?" Mokuba said in a dark, joking way. Mokuba's pain could be seen through the attempted joke, however. Mokuba had tried to become more advanced in hiding his emotions, but Seto was the one person who could see through the act. It wasn't a sad thing that the boy would have to resort to joking about Seto's extreme medical condition a couple years back, it was what any occupant had to do as a child of Gozaburo Kaiba.

"No, it was after he put you in a wheelchair as a result of breaking your leg," Seto said in a much darker and serious tone. That was because he couldn't play the event off like a joke. Even though the injury was referring to the same night Seto had received the head trauma, Seto couldn't get past the many months he spent, wheeling his brother around the house, or watching him hobble from place to place. It was a sad sight to see, and possibly more painful than all the head trauma in the world for Seto to watch.

Seto could still vividly remember many occasions where he would comfort Mokuba, spending late hours into the night, as he held his younger brother while he cried from the pain. Mokuba had never broken a bone in his body, and the process of breaking his leg and feeling absolutely immobile was too hard for him to handle most times. Seto felt completely responsible for the incident. He hadn't been able to protect his brother that night and Mokuba had paid the price.

"Are you boys ready yet? Get down here!" Seto heard Gozaburo yell from downstairs. Seto immediately snapped out of his thoughts and ran over to grab his brother's hand. Both of them came out of the room and went down the stairs, where Gozaburo was awaiting them at the end. His eyes were scanning each boy and each outfit, making sure nothing was out of place and both were looking in tip top shape. Gozaburo stared the longest at Mokuba, with his hair drawing most attention.

Gozaburo brought out his hand and reached out towards Mokuba. Mokuba flinched, afraid Gozaburo would strike him, when instead the man pressing down on his head. Mokuba opened one eye and stared at him. Gozaburo frowned.

"What are we going to do about this hair? It's too out of control. Hobson," Hobson was always nearby, especially when Gozaburo was around. Just like that, the toad man appeared from what one would've assumed the darkest corner of the room. As always, no one had noticed him until he had been summoned by Gozaburo himself. "Would you mind getting me something to keep his hair in tact?"

"Perhaps something like hair gel, Sir?"

"Sure, just get it for me, quickly." Hobson hurried out of the room as Gozaburo continued to try and shift Mokuba's hair into a reasonable shape. Seto stood there awkwardly next to him as Mokuba tried to keep himself from making any faces, even though it was obvious he was just as uncomfortable as his brother, possibly even more uncomfortable with Gozaburo touching his head. Gozaburo let out a frustrated sigh.

"We should really do something about this hair… we may just have to cut it, it's unacceptable for a boy your age." Mokuba instantly jumped back, putting his hands over his hair in a protective fashion.

"No way! I like my hair! I don't wanna cut it!" Seto's body tensed; he knew where this was going, and it wasn't a great direction. Seto had to do something quick before the situation got serious. Seto placed his firm hand on Mokuba's shoulder, and Mokuba turned his head towards him. "Nii-sama?"

"I'll race you to the car." Mokuba's eyes sparked with the opportunity at beating his brother in a game of speed. Mokuba's child-like mind instantly forgot the argument that was about to go on as he lowered his hands. He smirked.

"You're on!" With that, Mokuba sped off down the hall and out of the door. Seto gave a sigh of relief, looking towards the door, then back at his step father. Gozaburo had been staring at him with his typical non-emotional face. Seto looked at him back with an almost a replicated expression.

"Smart move Seto," Gozaburo said, "That must've been the first attempt I ever witnessed of you successfully protecting your brother, as opposed to, you know, just attempting." Seto's body burned with all the anger he had pent up over the years, but he dare not show it. Seto had become just as skilled at concealing his emotions, especially when he was around his step father. Seto said nothing and walked towards the limo.

* * *

Mokuba had known better than to ask many questions. Gozaburo was the last person anyone would want to go to ask a question since he wasn't one to be seen as a patient man. The limo was driving up the driveway and nearing the mansion where the party was being held. There were several other limos ahead of theirs; each was different by way of color or style. Never the less, each car was, indeed, a limo. They were attending a business party after all, and the CEO of Kaiba Corp. didn't go to just any business party.

Yet Mokuba was curious as to the reasoning behind going out of his way to go to this party. Gozaburo had a tight schedule and didn't have a lot of time for anything that didn't direct involve his own company. The mansion was on the other side of town, so it didn't make sense to spend nearly a half hour driving all the way to the place. There must've been another motive Gozaburo had. Mokuba, being the curious eight-year-old, couldn't help but ask.

"Is there a reason we're going to this party?" Seto froze up, but not before turning his head and gapping his mouth towards his brother. Seto loved Mokuba very much, but that was just a stupid move. Hadn't Mokuba known Gozaburo well enough to never question the man's motives?

Surprisingly, however, Gozaburo seemed to be amused rather than annoyed, as he chuckled by himself from the seat across from the two boys. His eyes removed themselves from looking out the window at the magnificent mansion and turned back to Mokuba.

"There is, actually." Gozaburo cleared his throat. Seto straightened his back and the way he was seated. When his step father cleared his throat it meant that a lecture was soon to be mixed in with the conversation. Gozaburo had taught him that whenever an older person, or at least a person of power, was speaking, he was to sit up straight and focus all his attention on that one person until they were through with what they had to say.

"Do you boys know what company is throwing this party today?"

Both Seto and Mokuba shook their heads at the same time. It was easy to tell that Gozaburo wasn't too astonished that neither of them knew which company was throwing the party, but Gozaburo did direct his attention towards Seto for a moment to tell him something important.

"Well, I want you to make sure you pay close attention to what I have to say, Seto. As heir to the Kaiba Corp. thrown, you'll have to know all about the competition. And this is one of Kaiba Corp.'s biggest competitors; you might even call them our rival." Mokuba blinked for a moment.

"Our rival?"

"Yes, our companies have been battling one another for generations upon generations. But Kaiba Corporation has always reigned supreme for the most part. This party is in celebration of their latest innovation within the company. They're to be signing an international contract that should be making them millions." Seto didn't get it. Why would they be attending a party to celebrate another company's success? Scratch that, why would they attending a party to celebrate a rival's success? This didn't seem very much like Gozaburo at all. He must've had something else in mind.

"Then why are we even here?" Seto spat back, scolding the idea of even associating with a competitor of Kaiba Corp. It just didn't seem logical, nor did it seem like 'good business' as Gozaburo might've seen it. Gozaburo smiled at Seto like the naïve child that he was.

"This is another lesson you must learn, young Seto. For as a business man and a CEO, you may keep your friends close, but you should always keep your enemies closer." So that was what this was about. It all became clear. Before Seto could give a proper response to what Gozaburo had said, the limo came to a stop. The side door was opened and the chauffeur's head was soon visible as it peaked inside.

"Master Kaiba, we have arrived at the front entrance of the Schroeder Mansion."

"Good. Thank you, William. Be sure to park close by. We won't be here long," Gozaburo said with confidence, getting up and walking out of the limo, "Come along boys, we wouldn't want to be late for the party." Gozaburo had said it in a sarcastic tone. Seto followed as commanded, with Mokuba not far behind.

The moment they walked into the mansion, Mokuba took the first chance he could to latch onto his brother's arm. Seto couldn't blame him. The scene was a little intimidating. There were adults everywhere, dressed up in expensive clothing; suits and dresses as far as the eye could see, and they were all talking in hushed tones. There was eeriness to it as they walked through enemy territory. Seto was hoping they would avoid the host of the party, but instead, Gozaburo led them straight to him.

There stood a sternly man, with fading brown hair, much like Gozaburo's hair. It was short and cut in a perfectly square fashion with his bangs combed back. The suit he was wearing was nearly identical to Gozaburo's, not to mention the mustache he held as well. It was almost like seeing an identical twin, minus the facial features.

"Ah, at last, the CEO of Kaiba Corporation is here. How are you my old friend?" Gozaburo gave a fake friendly smile as he approached the man.

"I'm doing well; I've been doing quite well, actually. How have you been?" The two men shook hands. Seto was trying his best not to stare at his step father, even though Gozaburo was providing a spectacular show for him. The fake smile, the fake friendly handshake, it was all too obvious. Seto was wondering whether or not the man was even catching on to this deviously brilliant act Gozaburo had on display.

"I've been doing quite well myself," Mr. Schroeder nodded politely; then looked down to his side. A boy was standing there, dressed to perfection as everyone else appeared to be. His hair was more circular than his father's, and most certainly more oddly colored. He had hair that was a vibrant light pink, and suddenly now Seto was trying to hold the urge to burst out laughing at the poor boy. "Oh yes, Mr. Kaiba, have you had a chance to meet my son, Zigfried?"

"I don't believe I have," Gozaburo said, looking down and smiling. He held out his hand and Zigfried looked him straight in the eye and shook it. Gozaburo grinned. "And you have yet to meet my son. This is Seto, my young protégé, and Mokuba, his brother."

"Oh, well, how very nice to meet you, Seto." Mr. Schroeder shook Seto's hand, and Seto politely shook it back. Mokuba held out his hand to shake, but Mr. Schroeder didn't even give the boy a second glance. "Your protégé, eh? I'm guessing you expect him to take on the company?"

"Of course, I have been training the boy since I adopted him."

"Are you sure you can trust that which is not your blood?" Gozaburo narrowed his eyes.

"Of course," Gozaburo placed his hand firmly and confidently on Seto's shoulder, "There's not another boy fit for the job." Mr. Schroeder looked less than convinced as he eyed Seto suspiciously. The man continued to ignore Mokuba like his presence meant nothing or didn't even exist, the little boy standing right beside Seto, continuing to cling to his brother's arm in fear.

"Well, I have been training my boy since birth. He'll make a fine CEO one day, as all Schroeder have been for generations," Mr. Schroeder took another look at Seto. "After all, success does run in our blood." If Gozaburo was annoyed by that, he was truly the master at hiding it. His face was masked with nothing but that eternally friendly smile that Seto could see right through it, but Mr. Schroeder appeared not to even notice. Seto looked down at Zigfried, whom was beaming with pride and was looking at Seto like he were less than.

"Which, that reminds me," Mr. Schroeder said out of blue and with surprise that he had nearly forgotten, "Have you heard? Schroeder Corp. is about to sign an international contract that—"

"I'm sorry to say, but you're too late," Gozaburo stated, his friendly face disappearing. Now Seto began to see his real intentions, the real reason he had even considering arriving at this party. The real Gozaburo had finally come out of the box. "They've chosen me. I've already signed that contract." The one thing they had been celebrating, Mr. Schroeder had just found, was the one thing Gozaburo had beat him to. And it was the reason Gozaburo was there; he had only come there to tell him, to make him feel that much more of a loser.

Suddenly, Seto found himself, for the first time, admiring and almost priding himself on what his step father had just done.

"Better luck next time," Was the last thing Gozaburo said before walking away. That was when Seto felt himself compelled to do the same. Compelled to, in many ways, be like Gozaburo. For all his life, he had always been walked all over, and cheated out of what he felt he had a right to. Seto's life had been stolen from him the moment he stepped onto the orphanage grounds.

But the first time ever, he saw the light. Seto saw the power that Gozaburo could pass onto him, and the techniques that he possessed. Seto wished to over power people too, just as they had done to him when he was growing up. Seto longed for it; total control, ultimate power. Seto found himself yearning to be like his step father more and more.

The horrified look on Mr. Schroeder's face was all the convincing Seto would need to show him what he wanted, and who he wanted to be like.

* * *

**A/N:** _OH MY GOD. I ACTUALLY UPDATED!!!!! Isn't that exciting?! I'm SO excited! Gosh, and I'm SO sorry for taking so damn long to update! Seriously, it's kind of embarrassing. Writer's block can do that to you . But hey! Now I'm back in business and best of all, I've got my groove back! Now, this chapter went on for a bit long, and I'm not exactly done for it. Oh yes, Zigfried/Seto action is about to come underway in the next chapter. If I were you, I'd be excited. I'm excited!(Gosh, I always friggin say that!) Anyways, I hope you guys had a great Easter and Spring Break! Expect more from me soon!(I know I will, or someone will have to die!:]) Hahahaha, see ya!_

_P.S: This was the first time I've ever proof-read one of my chapters! I'm kind of proud of myself, I'm not gonna lie :3 I wonder if there was any difference… let me know if there was and if you felt just a little more tanginess with your HiKari dish after reading this chapter ;) Thanks!_


	12. Twelve

MythCreatorWriter: So you want to know how I didn't proof read all my stories for so many years? Laziness, pure laziness. I am THAT lazy. And also excitement. When I finished a chapter, I want to post it immediately because, well, it makes you feel like the chapter is officially done, and reviews are exciting, almost a sexually arousing process for me(not really, hahaha, but it can be for some authors, am I right?) I did it again for this chapter… which was kind of hell… not going to lie, just because I really didn't like this chapter. Actually that one part with the Mokuba and his hair thing was kind of a funny scene for me to write. See, Gozaburo has been so violent in the past and tends to lash out about the most random things, especially when its Mokuba's doing. So when I started writing out that scene I was like "CRAP! I have to do something before this kid gets beaten!" So that whole Seto thing was literally thrown in there to prevent another child abuse scene from occurring(sometimes scenes I never planned come up in my story and just seem fit so, if they don't exactly flow, I have to write the rest of the chapter to move around it, hahaha) I've got to say, I love you reading my other review responses to other people and then responding to them myself! It kind of makes me feel important. I actually don't think I give you guys who respond to my review replies/author's notes enough credit because gosh, I ALWAYS forget to read the review replies or author's notes of other people. Like, I just can't seem to care enough to see it. Does that make me a bad person? Oh, it doesn't matter. Anyways, thanks for the review and enjoy the chapter!

Patriot16: Well, I didn't have Zigfried creep out Seto, but I did have him do something else… if that's vague enough to peak your interest :) Hahaha, thanks for your review though!

KatrinaKaiba: And yet another review without a Consequences update in sight! You must be delighted with me right now! Yeah, I always try to find places to throw in random references. You should read some of my other stories sometime, I have a LOT of quotes from random little kid movies, like you wouldn't believe. And they'll come up in the most serious of situations. Just adorable if you ask me :) Well, I don't like this chapter, but maybe you'll like it. Thanks for the review!

WhiteAsukalover: Of course Seto does! Gozaburo went to college!(Your mom goes to college… hahaha, Napoleon Dynamite) Anyways, it's all good now. Just as they say in the Lion King, I've got to put my past behind me! Which I already have, so it's all good :) Thanks for your concern though! I really appreciate it! And also for your wonderful review!

AmePiper: What a great save then! That would've been tragic if you had never discovered I had updated :( And oh my gosh! I want to write review for films and such as well! Don't know if that's what I'll specifically do… but it's what I sort of have in mind a little bit. I'm glad you're proud of me for proof reading cause honestly I hate it(or at least I hated it for this chapter… gosh, I really don't like this chapter at all) Yeah, I still feel like I have a bit of writer's block right now. Can't seem to push myself to finish the next chapter of Consequences, which makes me cry because it's going to be such an epic chapter. Yeah, actually, I was thinking the same thing. About how Seto is really developing and you can really see this transformation he's going through. Cause honestly… when I write, I plan very few things out, and stuff will just come out as I'm writing. And that whole contemplating and realizing he wants to be like Seto… that was just another scene that came up that seemed to really flow with the theme, so I was kind of thumbs up rocking out with that. Writing is seriously like a gamble to me, you really hope things work out in the end because most of the time you don't even know what you're going for in a story. Hahaha, I love you so much kid and I hope this chapter doesn't fail too much! Do give me your well-rounded, fantastic, super sexy honest opinion about it when you get the chance! I really wasn't feeling proud of it. I love you, thanks again for the review!

Lil girl pink: Hahahaha! I love you kid, I really do! "Like fo sho, almost like a fo sho ho, but u ain't no ho… because u updated!" um, can anyone say, MY LIFE?? Hahahaha, amazing. Your review seriously inspired me to finish this chapter tonight, so this one goes out to you girl! Hahaha, your review really made my day, thanks so much for writing it to me! I'm really looking forward to reading the next one :) Enjoy!

Twelve

The look on Mr. Schroeder's face was priceless and would continue to be priceless up until the point where Mr. Schroeder cursed under his breath and left. Mokuba was still standing by his brother; his hold around Seto's arm hadn't loosened at all. It might have even tightened a bit, just from standing there, especially with Zigfried still standing in front of them. The situation was already awkward enough, Mokuba couldn't figure out why his brother hadn't left the scene as Gozaburo had already.

Seto, on the other hand, hadn't wished to leave the scene. He had been so amused by Mr. Schroeder's facial expression that he had nearly forgotten his manners, because the moment the man had left, Seto burst out laughing. Mokuba put his hand up to his face and tried to hide the embarrassment he was having. Zigfried was still standing in front of them, becoming more and more furious as Seto continued laughing. Mokuba was too ashamed to even say anything. It wasn't long, though, before Zigfried spoke up.

"Would you mind telling me what it is you find so funny, Kaiba?" Zigfried said in a threatening tone. Seto paused for a moment to catch his breath. By the glint in his eye, Mokuba was quite certain that Zigfried was the last person that would frighten Seto at all. The fact that Zigfried was approaching him in this manner almost made Mokuba feel bad, but considering they were in a public setting, Mokuba was positive Seto wouldn't try to attempt to do anything harmful.

"Honestly between your ridiculous hairdo and that fantastic display of your father getting his butt handed to him, I would say that I could be laughing at a number of things." Zigfried clenched his fists. Zigfried wasn't used to be looked down upon and even less use to being ridiculed by someone else. Zigfried was going to make sure he would have the last laugh in all of this.

"Is that so? Well… at least I'm not adopted," Zigfried said with a grin. Seto's eyes immediately narrowed and looked towards him. It had become apparent what this was about now, and what Zigfried was trying to do. That was a low blow, even for Seto's standards, but he wouldn't fall for it. No, instead, he offered a grin back at Zigfried's inferior insult.

"If you say so, but I'm just glad that I'm not related to a man who can't seem to win over his own rival. After all, if success can truly does run in one's blood, so can failure." Seto was having so much fun taunting Zigfried that he had failed to notice Mokuba pulling on his sleeve. The boy had also caught onto Zigfried's little scheme as well; trying to say whatever he could to cause Seto to snap and throw the first punch. Seto was smarter than that, though, and he knew that. So for right now, he was merely poking fun at him.

Mokuba didn't feel right, however, doing this and get out of the situation as quickly as possible. He looked up at his older brother desperately.

"Nii-sama, can we please go? Gozaburo might leave without us if we don't hurry now," Mokuba stated. Zigfried saw this as another opening.

"Oh don't worry; I'm sure he wouldn't leave without you…" Zigfried said to Mokuba, just before turning towards Seto, "Or rather, he wouldn't leave without his precise protégé." Seto eyed him; and he slipped his arm out of Mokuba's lock and instead held his hand.

"Stop it Zigfried," Seto commanded sternly. Zigfried was delighted to see these results, and therefore decided to go more in depth. Mokuba looked from his older brother back to Zigfried. Suddenly he felt confused.

"What do you mean?" Mokuba asked innocently.

"I'm saying you mean nothing, don't you understand? You're the second born son and nothing more. You serve no purpose except to exist and to make your brother look like a genius in comparison to you." Mokuba took a step back in horror from what he had said. He knew that he didn't mean much in Gozaburo's eyes, but to be used as only a mere comparison, nothing but a tool? The truth seemed a little too dark this time to handle. Seto saw this and reacted appropriately.

"That's enough. We're leaving." Seto pulled on Mokuba's hand and led him in the other direction, one that was going away from Zigfried. Zigfried saw his window of opportunity beginning to close and he just wasn't ready to let it slip out of his fingers. He had to leave his incriminating mark on the Kaibas before they made it out of the mansion.

Zigfried quickly ran up from behind Mokuba and gave him a good shove. Seto immediately stopped walking, just as Mokuba caught himself. Seto took a deep breath and counted to ten, trying to cool his anger inside his head. Thankfully Mokuba had caught himself, but his heart had nearly jumped out of his chest when he had almost fallen a second ago.

"Come now, Kaiba, are you that much of a coward? Can you not even defend yourself, or did Gozaburo teach all of his fighting skills to his useful son?" Zigfried asked, giving Mokuba another shove. Mokuba did nothing, looking to his brother for guidance. Mokuba was much too afraid to react in anger. Mokuba swallowed hard.

"I said stop it Zigfried, or else," Seto said, without turning around to face Zigfried.

"Or else what?" Zigfried asked. Seto said nothing and began walking again with his brother by his side. Mokuba gave a sigh of relief, looking up ahead at the giant entrance. Soon this would all be over. They would walk out the door; get away from this party, and go back home. Home had never seemed so appealing in Mokuba's mind.

Mokuba tried walking as fast as possible to get out of there. But Zigfried didn't want them to be let off that easily. Zigfried ran up once more and gave Mokuba a hard enough shove that the boy fell forward and tumbled to the floor.

What happened next had managed to happen all too quickly for anyone to have reported anything. All they knew was that they had heard Zigfried scream like a girl and Seto was hovering over him with his fist in the air. Blood had already begun to trickle down Zigfried's face from his nose; his collared shirt was wrapped up in Seto's palm as he held him above the floor. Seto's eyes had death written all over them.

"Don't you ever, EVER, touch my brother again, you disgusting little worm." Mokuba ran up from behind Seto and grabbed his arm.

"Nii-sama, don't!" Mokuba cried, trying to pry his brother off of Zigfried. Mokuba wasn't strong enough to force Seto off of Zigfried, and Seto had even pulled his own arm out of Mokuba's grasp, socking another one to Zigfried's face. The hushed whispering became loud and more chaotic as all conversations were directed towards the fight breaking out in the middle of the ball room. Mokuba stared at his brother, desperately wishing he would stop this quarrelling while also wondering what had happened to what Seto had said earlier about him no longer choosing to fight.

There was nothing Mokuba could do about it now except watch in agony and worry from the sidelines. No, it would take a whole other person to take control of Seto, one much older and much more powerful than he.

"Get off of my son, you juvenile delinquent!" Mr. Schroeder yelled, running across the room and over to the two boys. Mr. Schroeder forced Seto off of his son and helped the mangled Zigfried to his feet. "How DARE you!" Mr. Schroeder said out loud in a very dramatic fashion as he turned around. "I should make you pay for what you have done!"

Just as Mr. Schroeder lifted his own fist in Seto's direction, the much older and much powerful man that Mokuba had been referring to earlier arrived on the scene. His hand gripped Mr. Schroeder's wrist and stopped it in mid-air just before it was able to struck Seto. Seto re-opened his eyes to see Gozaburo standing behind the man, keeping his fists from coming anywhere near Seto's perfectly in tact face. Mr. Schroeder pulled away and twisted around in anger.

"Have you seen what you're boy has done?! I should have him arrested for assault!" Gozaburo looked over at Zigfried and his bloodied nose. He rolled his eyes and stepped away, towards Seto.

"Please, and then force me to convict you of child abuse? Mr. Schroeder, I thought you were a bit more intelligent than that." Mr. Schroeder's eyes widened with surprise. He hadn't thought of it that way, or really even thought about the consequences of hitting a thirteen year old in the face. Needless to say, he was speechless. Gozaburo walked past him and signaled Seto to follow him out the door and out of the building. Mokuba hurriedly followed them outside out to the parking lot. When they reached the car, Gozaburo turned to William, whom was keeping post, standing by the limo.

"William, please place Mokuba inside the limo. I need to teach my son a lesson." Mokuba's heart froze. Gozaburo was going to hurt him. Gozaburo was going to beat the living daylights out of Seto for what he had done to Zigfried! Mokuba couldn't let this happen. Not again.

Mokuba ran towards Seto, but was grabbed by William instead and lifted off the ground towards the limo. Mokuba struggled to get out of his grasp and even began to yell.

"Nii-sama! No! Please, wait!" Mokuba called, just before he was shoved into the limo by William. Seto hadn't even had time to look at his calling brother, for now he had worries of his own. Gozaburo's idea of teaching him a lesson had been defined in the past as a beating. But Seto had been beaten down so much, he felt he couldn't spend too much time worrying about the pain he would receiving, just pondering how long it would last.

Gozaburo led him out of the parking lot and over to a nice wide open grass field beside the Schroeder Mansion. Seto looked around; this would be a strange place to beat someone in broad daylight. What was Gozaburo planning next? Gozaburo lifted his arm, and Seto automatically fell the ground and curled up in defense. This was the defense mechanism he had built up after three years of corporate punishment, and yet, the beating never came.

"Come now, get back on your feet," Gozaburo said. Seto quickly got back up and tried not to stare directly into the man's eyes. Gozaburo had been quite vocal about hating it on many random occasions. "I'm not going to hurt you. You did a good thing back there, bopping that pansy in the face." Seto looked up with surprise. Was he actually getting approval from Gozaburo?

"But still, you know that doesn't condone violence, especially not at a business party. And I'm a little shocked to see that you have already forgotten the lesson I had taught you previously," Gozaburo said, "Don't you remember? Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer?" Seto looked down in shame at his mistake. It was the first time he had ever received approval from Gozaburo and now suddenly he felt he had ruined it with his silly mistake. "Why would you do something like that?"

"He… he hurt Mokuba. I mean… I don't know, I didn't even think about it, really. I just acted. That's all I can ever do when Mokuba is in danger," Seto looked down at his hands in confusion, in some instances, he felt he had no control of them. The incident with Zigfried was one of those incidents. But it wasn't Seto's fault! After all, it was simply his natural instinct to defend his brother no matter what. "He's my brother… I made a promise that I wouldn't let him get hurt."

Gozaburo gave a disappointed sigh which made Seto feel even worse. But… why did he even care? Seto hadn't honestly given Gozaburo's feelings towards him a second thought; Seto HADN'T cared what Gozaburo had thought. Now it suddenly mattered, and Seto couldn't figure out why. Was it because now he yearned for the power Gozaburo possessed? Did that, in some shape or form, cause Seto to see him as something more of an evil step father, possibly even a role model? Seto shook his head, he couldn't believe he was thinking such thoughts… and yet, he could.

"Seto, we've been over this before… there's no room for family in the business world. Those kinds of things only hold you back, hold you from showing you're true potential."

"And my response is the same!" Seto said in a confused manner, "He's my brother, what else am I supposed to do?" Gozaburo sighed and shoved his hands into his pants pockets. He looked around at the sky, as if he were going to say something philosophical just now. The strange thing was; Seto was actually ready to listen to him for the first time.

"Oh Seto… you're so devoted to principle that you don't see what you truly possess. You have a gift, Son, a gift that not many others have. Are you really that willing to throw your life away just because you have a younger brother?"

"Just as I have a gift, I also have a duty… a promise to fulfill. I promised to always protect Mokuba when…" Seto held his tongue and decided to rephrase it, "A very long time ago, I meant. I can't simply turn my back on that, I love my brother."

"Which is why you need to let him go, you need to tear yourself away from him. I don't think you understand this, but having a weakness doesn't just mean it'll hold you back, but it'll also tear you apart. The minute an opponent figures out what you care about, they will do anything to destroy it. Why? Because that's what it's like to be in the business world. It's all about playing dirty. Do you understand?"

Seto looked away. He understood completely… but what Gozaburo was asking for wasn't what Seto wanted to do. He didn't want to pull away from his brother… Mokuba needed him, just as he needed Mokuba. They supported each other, even though they rarely got to see one another. But what Gozaburo said made sense… but how was Seto supposed to turn his back on the only family he had?

Gozaburo placed his hand on Seto's shoulder and broke him out of his thoughts.

"Look Seto… you're a smart kid, but if you're not smart enough to move forward and accept the opportunity you have right now, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you go," Seto's eyes widened, "I adopted you because I knew you had the potential, the drive, one would need to be trained intensively to be able to survive as Kaiba Corp.'s next CEO. But that can never happen unless you truly want it."

Seto nodded slowly. He understood Gozaburo's words completely.

"That's why I'm asking you right now… are you in? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to learn all there is to know about the dynamics of this business? Are you ready to put all that you ever cared about aside to focus on your future? Are you?"

This was it, this was all that it came down to; this one answer he was supposed to give. Seto was either in it or he was not. Seto took in a deep breath. He felt like his whole future depended on this one answer. Seto imagined Mokuba standing beside Gozaburo; his face was torn with sadness. Mokuba didn't want him to do this; that was easy to tell. But his eyes burned with determination, his heart burned with the desire to win it all, to come out on top. Seto shut his eyes and re-opened them, Mokuba's image was gone.

However, Gozaburo was still standing in front of him, waiting for an answer. It was his choice and his destiny. It was either his way or the highway. It was… nerve wrecking. But finally, after what seemed like an eternity of an internal struggle, but in reality was only about a minute, Seto spoke up and said his final words loud and clear.

"I'm in."

* * *

**A/N:** _Hey kids, how's it going? Okay, moving RIGHT along, I have to tell you… it took EVERYTHING in me not to throw into the Seto-Gozaburo conversation this; "It's a buggy bug world out there… someone could get HURT," from A Bug's Life. No joke, it really did. Is that lame or what? Hahaha, there's something about kid movie's that always wants me to relate it to my stories :] Maybe I'm just silly. Anyhow, still working on being inspired for my other story, but in the meantime, this went pretty well, huh? I have to tell you, there were some scenes that seemed a bit iffy in my mind, and definitely some conversations that could've been a bit more in depth, but who knows. I'm actually going to proof read it right now (aren't you all happy that I'm finally growing up?) and who knows, maybe it'll come out better at the end. Either way, I hope you enjoyed reading my story, I know I enjoyed getting your reviews!_

_P.S: I just finished proof reading my story… wow, I'm almost ashamed by some mistakes I make. I hope the past couple chapters haven't been that bad. Just as a second author's note, I guess, I still really don't fancy this chapter at all, but it's got us moving along so… yeah. Hopefully you guys enjoyed it though!_


	13. Thirteen

Patriot16: Wonder no more, wonderful reviewer of mine! For here is the next chapter! Thanks for the review!

WhiteAsukalover: Ah yes, but considering the situation and the stress he has been put under, it is possibly to condition Seto into thinking he wants to be like Gozaburo. Which you'll see more of in this chapter. And I would like to talk to you! I'm sorry I'm so bad, though, about PMs. I mean, lately I've been so bad about my own stories so PMs seems like such a hassle in and of itself. But possibly we could maybe chat sometime closer to the summer, no doubt :] Thanks for the review!

Lil girl pink: For a second there, I completely thought you were serious about being disappointed in my last chapter!. Hahaha, but I was so happy to know that you actually weren't! Your review made me laugh a lot, you have to be one of the most creative and unpredictable reviewers I ever had! I very much enjoy it. I'm so glad that you did like my chapter in the end, and your review was wonderful! Thanks so much! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you(hopefully when I edit it, I won't be disappointed by it either:p) Enjoy!

MythCreatorWriter: Okay, so I actually have something funny to say to begin my review reply to you. So the past couple reviews I read kept having this repeated "Seto punching/smacking/winning over someone" theme to it, and honestly, I couldn't figure out what on earth they were referring to. First I thought that Seto had smacked Gozaburo in the face or something, and then I was like "Oh crap! How in the hell did that work out?!" Cause surely Gozaburo would've retaliated with greater power. And then I kept reading all these comments about pansys and such and thought to myself "Did someone refer to Mokuba as a pansy?" Since people do like to say he looks like a girl and I couldn't think of any other character that would be called that. Finally I read the actual chapter and understood everything. I seriously can't believe it's been THAT long since I've written anything for this story, I'm kind of embarrassed. Anyways, back to your review. Which I don't actually have a lot to say since a lot of your thoughts tended to contradict themselves(such as saying you hate Gozaburo, but you wanted him there, and that Seto's taunts were awesome, but he also annoyed you) Thoughts like that, and I think that's what everyone's reaction to this is cause it's hard to really be on one side or another. And yes, I didn't like that chapter, although lately I have been liking my chapters!(up till last chapter… and this one. I don't like this one either) Hahahaha, I miss Consequences. I usually like those chapters… anyways, I better run cause this is mighty long. Thanks for the review as always!

Lace Kyoko: Thanks for the review! I liked Seto's comebacks too. They just seem to come to me as I write out these scenes and it makes me happy since it makes up for all those times I was in an argument with someone, couldn't come up with anything to say back, and then hours late I think of an awesome come back and get mad at myself for not thinking of it sooner!o So this story kind of makes up for it :D Thanks so much, again, for your review! It made me smile. Enjoy!

KnotofRibbon: Greetings latest reader! Might I say; your review was a delight to receive! It really was, it most certainly made my day. I honestly say I don't know how the hell I do it and my ideas will come from the most random of events(this story was birthed from a scene I came up with late one night during a sleep over during the summer. What's funny is, the scene never made it into the story, although I suppose the general idea of it was modified in some ways) I hate the way people make Gozaburo out to be a rapist or homicidal child abuser. I mean, I could see it, but I don't believe it. You know what's even greater though?(sorry, these general thoughts come to mind as I was reading your wonderful comments in your review) This story's plot has actually changed as I have been writing this story. When I first started writing it, I didn't know what it was supposed to be about since I had taken a document I wrote years back and decided to turn it into a story, then I decided on a theme, and now that theme and general plot line has changed. It's kind of hilarious in a way XP Anyways, sorry for taking so long to update! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Rena Redhead: TORMENT! Hahahaha, yes, I am updating and I'm sure you hate me for it! But to be fair, I haven't updated in three weeks so… this was a well needed update X.X Can't say I blame you, though, cause sometimes stuff gets complicated and there's nothing you can do to catch up. I can't think of much more to say or respond to your review because I can barely remember what happened in chapter 3, and I want to hurry and edit this chapter so I can post it and feel less bad about myself! I'm sure you understand. Rock on and keep rocking!

AmePiper: The world smiles upon your grace and general being~A message from our sponsor. And a totally random review reply I decided to give you!:D Onward to the chapter! :]

Thirteen

He placed one hand on the side of his face, gently rubbing the softness of his cheek. Looking at himself in the mirror, he observed himself. It seemed he had never really looked at his reflection, at least not in a long time, for he was surprised with what he saw. Long, dark rings had formed under his tired, dulled eyes. The deep pools of blue that once sparkled within his pupils had now turned cold, and solid. They seemed almost… soulless. The skin on his face clung to the rest of his frame, fragile, like it were the face of a man whom had aged twenty years living out a long, and stressful life.

The reality was, today was his birthday and he was only turning fourteen.

Yes, it was a chilly October day. The sun had begun setting earlier and earlier, so the day was already making its shift into the night when Seto looked out the window. The sliding glass door was open, letting in the cool breeze from the outside. A small gust blew in, and papers could be heard rustling in the wind. Seto acted quickly and shut the door, before turning back towards his papers and making sure his homework he had just completed a moment ago was still in the proper place.

As Seto continued neatly re-stacking his homework and papers together, his eyes couldn't help but wander towards another stack of papers, one that was much smaller and obviously more personal. Seto placed his papers back down and walked over to them, picking the pile up. He unfolded one sheet of paper in particular; the most recent of the letters he had received from his younger brother a couple days ago.

"Dear Nii-sama, I thought this might be the pick me up you've been in need of. Remember, they can't take away everything, so please don't let them steal the most important treasure." That was what the letter read in the well thought-out handwriting of a nine year old. The tiny note brought a smile to Seto's face, and brought an even bigger smile when he glanced at the small stack of cards he had stationed next to it. Mokuba had sent them along with the note he had written him, this time he had hidden his message in one of Seto's text books.

The two brothers had reverted to contacting one another through letters, since the time they had spent together had completely diminished to almost no time at all in the last six months. Instead of resisting Gozaburo's training, Seto found himself accepting it. In fact, he even found himself being driven by it. So no longer was it by Gozaburo's hand that he would stay up long hours into the night and way past his own bed time to finish his studies, it was by Seto's. Seto had switched from seeing the training as a punishment to an opportunity of a lifetime.

Seto looked through his stack of cards one more time, this time stopping on one card that had been hand drawn. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon that his brother had drew for him. Seeing the image helped arise the guilt Seto had been harboring for some time now. Because he had been so busy lately with his studies, he hadn't had time to reply to any of Mokuba's letters, and yet they still continued to come. Seto placed the card down, thinking his brother cared so much for him. Seto would return the favor, in time. Soon all his hard work would pay off.

"Master Seto," A raspy voice called, one that Seto recognized as Hobson, "Gozaburo has granted you the night off on account of the occasion. If you wish, you may see your brother." Seto was ecstatic about the idea of seeing his brother again for the first time in many, many weeks. But Seto was unable to show it, partly because he was so tired and sleep deprived, and also because Gozaburo had been able to leave his mark since they had been spending so much time together. It was almost impossible NOT to pick up some of the old man's habits.

Seto turned Hobson's way and walked through the door. As they moved down the hallway, Seto pondered what he would do, what he would say. Seto hadn't seen his brother for ages, and he hadn't been able to reply to any of his messages. Would Mokuba be mad at him? This came as a shock to Seto's mind as he thought about it; What if Mokuba hated him? What if he had disappointed Mokuba without even knowing? Seto found it hard to walk straight as all his worries and fears came to mind.

What was he to expect?

Finally they made their way down the stairway and towards the living room. Without realizing it, Seto was holding his breath in fear of what Mokuba might say. They took their final step into the opening and there he was. Seto stood there in shock. His brother had jumped to his feet upon Seto's arrival. Seto stared at his brother for a long time, without even realizing it. Mokuba looked so… so… grown up.

Of course the nine year old didn't look TOO grown up, but he had definitely gotten taller since the last time Seto had seen him. He couldn't believe it, how long had it been since he had seen his own brother? Seto was so surprised and fascinated by his brother's growth that he didn't even do anything when Mokuba tackle-hugged him to the ground.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY NII-SAMA!" Seto blinked and snapped back into reality as he got up.

"Thank you," was all Seto was able to muster out. Even his brother's excited facial expression seemed to have matured. Seto continued to notice all these things that had changed in his brother and his appearance, and it made him feel guilty for not being present for his brother more. Seto couldn't get rid of the idea that he was missing out on Mokuba's childhood.

"Nii-sama?" Mokuba asked, after many minutes of silence. Seto forced himself out of the trance he was in and got up.

"Sorry, you just caught me a little off guard. I'm fine," Seto said, getting up from the floor, "But what about you? How have you been?" Mokuba couldn't help but break out into a laugh. Seto, however, was confused by this. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing Nii-sama, it's just… you're acting so weird and awkward! Like meeting up with an old classmate you used to be friends with or something." Seto shrugged and looked away. Now he felt embarrassed. Was Seto really that awkward with people? The last couple of months he didn't really have the chance to associate with anyone that wasn't related to his studies or training.

"Nii-sama, you're spacing out on me again," Mokuba pointed out, playfully poking Seto in the side. Seto shook his head and broke out of his thoughts once and for all. Tonight he was going to focus on his brother. Nothing else would matter and he was going to make an effort to stay out of his head.

"Sorry Mokuba, it's been a long week. But don't worry, I promise tonight we'll have a bunch of fun to make up for that," Seto said with a hint of excitement. Mokuba bounced up and down with happiness.

"Yeah, you're right! So what should we do first, Nii-sama? What do you want to do?"

"Oh, I don't know, what would you like to do? I know! Maybe we could go to that park you use to love?" Mokuba frowned.

"Nii-sama, it's your birthday, we should do what you want to do! And that park was your favorite place to go when we were kids."

"Oh, right…" Seto scratched his head with embarrassment. He hadn't the slightest clue what he desired to do. He had honestly been so wrapped up with his own studies that he might've actually forgotten what he loved doing. Seto had to come up with something soon, though, before Mokuba began to lose faith in him. Seto started to think long and hard about all his past interests, until finally it came to him; his first true passion.

"How about we play a game of chess?" Seto suggested. Mokuba's face brightened.

"Yeah! That sounds like fun!" Seto smiled and led Mokuba out of the living room to his bed room to get the game. Mokuba hadn't been in Seto's room in a while, so he was interested to see what it looked like now. Mokuba wasn't surprised to find a seemingly dull room, which nothing much in it except books and papers. But Mokuba's eyes did spot something that caught his interest in the corner.

"What's that over there?" Mokuba asked; walking over to pick up the object he saw on Seto's desk. Seto had walked over to the other end of the room, looking through the wooden cabinet in search for his chess board. He turned his head for a moment to see what Mokuba was referring to then went back to his searching.

"Oh, I got that from Gozaburo yesterday." Mokuba picked up and held back an urge to laugh. It was a calculator. Although Mokuba would admit, it looked like a technologically advanced calculator, with a wide screen and graphing abilities, but it was still… a calculator. He couldn't help but think how terrible Gozaburo was for giving this to Seto as a present for his birthday.

"Wow, a calculator… what a cool guy," Mokuba said sarcastically, picking it up from Seto's desk and staring at it.

"It's not just any calculator, it's a TI-84, shipped from America," Seto said with his back turned to Mokuba. He was still busy looking for that chess board. Seto couldn't believe it was this difficult to find it. Had Gozaburo taken it out of his room at some point? Gozaburo had taken away all his toys and games as punishment for a C or two he had gotten in some of his classes a couple weeks ago, but he was still hopeful Gozaburo had at least left his chess behind. Seto continued looking.

"Wow, a TI-84 from America, what a great gift," Mokuba said with continued sarcasm. Then Mokuba remembered and pulled out a small, wrapped package of his own from his pocket and placed it on Seto's desk. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Here, I got you something for your birthday too."

"Oh really? Thanks Mokuba," Seto said, a bit distracted. He let out a relieved sigh when he finally spotted the chess board at the very top of the cabinet. Seto reached up and grabbed it, carefully sliding it down and catching it with his other hand. Seto smiled with pride and looked down at himself. He hadn't realized how tall he had gotten in the past couple months. It made retrieving the chess board even more of a victory. Seto closed the cabinet as Mokuba fiddled with the calculator in his hands.

"How do you even open this thing?" Mokuba asked, having a hard time trying to figure out how to pry it out of its case. Seto walked over to him.

"It's not that hard, you just have to-" Mokuba got a little frustrated with it and forcefully pulled it out from under its cover.

"I got it!" Mokuba said with triumph, the body of the calculator slid out from under the case. Mokuba tried to grab it as it did, but it fell too fast and much too quickly for his hands to grab it in time. The object fell to the floor with a loud bang and Seto dropped the chess board to the ground at the same time. "Oops…" Mokuba said in a quiet voice, looking down at the calculator as it lay face down on the floor now. The crash it made when it fell did not sound good.

Seto fell to his knees and picked up the calculator from the ground slowly and carefully. Mokuba remained silent as Seto twisted it around and saw that the screen had completely shattered on impact. There was a large, spider-like crack that was shown across the screen. Mokuba cringed from the damage his slip had done to Seto's calculator and the look on his brother's face. Seto looked absolutely shocked by this.

"Nii-sama, I am SO sorry, I didn't know it was going to-"

"IDIOT!" Mokuba jumped back in shock. Seto had never yelled at him in his entire life nor had he ever seen him so angry because of something Mokuba had done.

"W-What?" Seto looked up from the calculator at Mokuba.

"You shouldn't mess with other people's stuff if you're going to break it!" Seto yelled. Mokuba took a couple steps back. "What am I going to do now? Gozaburo gave that to me for my birthday!"

Mokuba moved closer to try and observe the calculator. "I don't know, maybe we could fix it…?"

"Fix it? No way! We can't fix it! We don't know how to do that, and we probably don't have the equipment. It's far from having the ability to be fixed anyway. You broke the screen!" Seto threw down the calculator in anger. Another loud slam echoed through-out the room and scared the living day lights out of Mokuba. Mokuba took a couple more steps away from his brother, Mokuba was scared now.

"I'm just going to have to clean this up. I don't even know what I'm going to tell Gozaburo," Seto muttered in rage as he looked down at the mess that lay at his feet in the middle of the floor. Mokuba looked up at his brother, hopeful that his brother would forgive him and move on.

"Nii-sama, it was just an accident… I didn't mean to-"

"There are no accidents!" Seto exploded.

Mokuba didn't feel that all too familiar feeling of a lump in his throat, he instead felt his throat close up entirely. All feeling in his legs seemed to vanish, like his body has cut off all blow flow to his legs. Mokuba saw that in Seto's eyes, his brother was entirely serious and didn't intend on taking back what he had said. This scared Mokuba even more than anything else that had gone on in that room in the past ten minutes.

"Why… would you say something like that?" Mokuba asked; horror in his voice. Seto looked up from the ground at Mokuba for a split second before looking away.

"Just get out of here." Mokuba wanted to, at this point, run out of that room as quick as possible, return to his own room and cry his heart out. But somehow, he couldn't simply do that. He couldn't just runaway. Mokuba wanted nothing more than to protect himself from any further hurtful words from his brother, but Mokuba also wanted his brother back or at least some way of still knowing his brother was still there, somehow.

Without even thinking, Mokuba ran forward and hugged his brother tightly.

"Nii-sama…" Mokuba said in a very subtle voice, "I love you." Mokuba expected or at least hoped that Seto would do the same and hug him in return. But he didn't. Instead, Seto shoved the boy off of him and out of his grasp.

"I said GO AWAY." That was Mokuba's cue to get out of there and he did. Without turning his head and looking back, Mokuba ran as fast as he could away from his brother and out of Seto's room. Seto was left to stand there and ponder how he wanted to clean up the ruined calculator pieces on the floor.

Beyond the boy's knowledge, a new presence had appeared near the doorway to Seto's room. A man with a watchful eye was looking into the scene, staring at the boy standing over the rubble on the floor. Although it didn't please him to see the object that had been shattered, the scene that had arisen from the incident did bring a smile to the old man's face that was visible even in the darkness of the hallway.

Seto's transformation was going better than expected, much better. Gozaburo disappeared into the darkness once more with a grin on his face with thoughts of what was to come.

* * *

**A/N:** _And I'll miss your laugh… your smile. I'll admit I'm wrong, if you tell me… I'm so sick, of fights, I hate them. Let's start this, again, for real… And that was some random Blink-182 coming your way! I suppose that's my way of saying "Sorry for not updating in about a bazillion days!" and partially because those lyrics came to mind while I was writing that last scene between Mokuba and Seto. So you're all probably wondering where I was or who killed me or something like that. Sometimes I wonder that too :] It's been a weird couple weeks. It's been stressful and strange, but now I feel like I might be getting back into my groove. Hopefully I'll update little miss Consequences soon too, cause I kind of miss writing that epic of mine. And I miss hearing from you guys too! Also, with regard to my story… I really didn't like this chapter. I mean, I liked the first part but not the second part, which made me feel bad that after about three weeks or so of nothing from me I come back with this, but I think the next chapter will be much better. And hopefully with some editing, this chapter will be much more enjoyable too!:D Thanks for your patience guys; you encourage me to be alive!_

_P.S: Proof-reading has become less painful! Awesome!_


	14. Fourteen

MythCreatorWriter: Its okay, my author's notes are usually all over the place so I shouldn't be talking. Hhahaha, I know, a calculator… sometimes I think my plot devices are absolutely hilarious XD Mokuba is just gonna keep feeling like crap the rest of this story, really. I mean, the kid's losing his brother! What crap, ya know? Proof reading still be painful, but I'm still gonna try and do it. Consequences is back!... sort of. Hahaha, thanks for the review!

Xblackrosefirex: Hey! Oh my gosh, it's been forever! Great to get a review from you again! I'm sure being in college will do that X.X Which is partly why I'm not super excited about it… hopefully I'll still have time to write though(I'm sure I will, I always do:]) Thanks for the review, welcome back!:D

SelenaKaiba: Makes YOU want to shoot Gozaburo, imagine how I must feel!(actually I feel pretty damn good, writing him makes torturing children fun!) Just kidding. Yeah, and I hate that storyline with the molestation. I stand by my opinion that I could see it happening in some sort of alternate universe, but for the character that he is, it doesn't suit. He's too proper. He's not a sexual deviant, he's a teacher. People are odd. Anyhow, thanks for the review!

Lace Kyoko: Thanks a bunch for the review! I know exactly what you mean with the siblings thing… and calculators do save lives. Especially for me(I'm absolutely terrible at math, to the point where it's depressing almost) It's so awesome to have a Blink fan reading my stuff! That brings a smile to my face, for sure :] Thanks again for the review and enjoy the chapter!

Fourteen

Walking through the corridors of the mansion, it was as clear as day the changes that had occurred within the young boy that transformed him. Seto, as he was walking straight forward, placed each and every foot exactly in front of the other with such ease it seemed it had been programmed into his memory. His shoulders had broadened and were in perfect alignment with his lower hips; perfect posture. Seto's white business suit fit him wonderfully and matched right down the very shoes he was wearing; he had been raised to look his best and walk with a purpose.

Although Seto's eyes were determined, ready for almost anything, he wasn't actually aware of what was about to happen. Gozaburo had called Seto to the living room moments ago. Hobson hadn't told Seto his reasons behind this action, Hobson just advised Seto to move quickly and not keep the man waiting. It wasn't dinner time which meant Gozaburo had a proposition to pitch to Seto. Whatever it was, Seto was ready.

Seto stopped when he reached the two large doors at the end of the hallway. Seto took one and pushed it open. He immediately saw his step father sitting at one end of the table, the spot he always sat in. Seto expected that, but what he didn't expect was to see Mokuba, sitting at the other end. Mokuba looked up at him as he walked in.

"Ah, there you are Seto. Sit down," Gozaburo said, signaling the chair across the long table from him right by Mokuba. Seto said nothing and obeyed. As he walked to his chair, his eyes caught notice of the man standing nearby Gozaburo to his right. It was Lector, Gozaburo's right hand business man. Out of the five board members of Kaiba Corp, Lector was the one Seto saw the most. Seto wasn't sure why, but whenever Lector was around, Seto felt the need to be competitive and aware.

Seto sat down in the assigned seat next to Mokuba. He knew not to say anything since he was not allowed to, but he could feel Mokuba's curious eyes being drawn to him. Seto hadn't seen his younger brother in almost a year, so it was a bit of an awkward affair to encounter him once again without the ability to talk in Gozaburo's presence. His attention was brought back to the issue at hand when he felt his step father's eyes watching him from across the table.

"Now Seto, you are now fifteen years old, I have watched you progress and make use of the skills I have taught you here in this house for the past five years now. It has also come to my attention that you have reached the point where you can acquire a perfect score in any given test for all your classes. This is why I believe it is time to bring an end to your formal education." Seto loved the sound of that; he had come to hate school work and all of his professors. This was a glorious assessment; but Seto was smarter than that, he knew there must've been a catch to all of this.

"I believe that now you are ready to begin learning a thing or two about the real world. And to do that, there's something I must give you." Gozaburo raised his hand; within his clutch was a small, yellow bell. He jingled it a bit and the door was pushed open. Hobson walked in, wheeling a dolly with a blanket over it. Hobson pulled away the bed sheet and revealed several neatly stacked piles of money. "I'm entrusting you with ten million dollars."

Seto's eyes went wide, as did Mokuba's, as they stared at the large pile of money. Never in their lives had they seen so much money in one place. It was incredible and somewhat frightening at the same time.

"Don't get too excited, for I have one final lesson you must learn. That is that nothing comes without a price," Gozaburo said, calling back Seto's attention. Seto held back the surprise and went back into his serious mode. "I am lending you this money in order for you to pass your final test. You have exactly one year to repay the money, but you must repay me with ten times the amount." Seto was shocked, but not surprised. Somehow he could see his step father giving him such a task.

"If you are capable of passing this test then you will have proven to me that you have the business skills necessary to call yourself a Kaiba." The name lingered in the air for a bit, it's meaning and power hovering between the two. The title of 'Kaiba' had been held with importance for generations beforehand, and Seto understood what it meant to have that name.

That moment Hobson moved forward, a clipboard was in his hand with a small paper attached and a pen in his other hand. He placed these two items in front of Seto on the table. Seto looked down at it briefly. "Now, in order to proceed, you must sign your name on this contract that formally states the rules and regulations of this task. Let it be known that if you fail, I will have no other choice but to send you back to the orphanage. Do you accept this challenge?"

"I do." Seto took no time to pick up the pen and sign off his name. Mokuba was peeking over from the side, eyeing the contract. Just as Seto has finished signing his name, the clipboard was taken from the table by Hobson. Mokuba was left to ponder what his brother had signed himself up for.

"Very well then, in addition to that, my assistant Lector has been assigned to help you with this project. He is the only one of my staff members allowed to be involved in this. Remember that you have only one year to pass," Gozaburo got up from the table, "I'm expecting only the best from you, Seto. I will hope to see such results, for your sake." Gozaburo walked out of the room, leaving Mokuba, Seto, and Lector remaining. No one said a thing, they all just sat there.

"Follow me," Seto said after ten painful minutes of straight silence. Seto got up from his chair and walked out of the room. Mokuba was quick to follow him from behind, and Lector had been following in the back ground as he pushed the dolly of money along too. Seto led them some way back down the hallway but took a different turn, back towards the boundaries of his own room. When entered, he went straight to his personal card drawer and opened it, taking out a stack of cards.

Mokuba stood awkwardly near the doorway of the room, watching his brother place the cards, one by one, below one another in a straight line as he began to make columns. He stood there, making sure to keep from disturbing his brother from the card organization he had going. At first, he had placed all one hundred of the cards face down on the floor of the room. But just as he had finished placing them on the ground, he began to unfold them and turn them over, one by one.

Seto did this in a slow and methodical manner, making sure to unfold each card at the same rate as the others. His eyes followed each card as it was turned over, even as his legs soon began to give way from kneeling for so long. Seto didn't seem to notice this pain in the lower half of his body, for his eyes continued to follow the calm and predictable pattern as his mind worked. Seto made decisions best when organizing his cards or building a deck, this was the set up that would help him devise his plan.

Mokuba walked over to his brother's side, looking down. He cocked his head to the side, staring at the cards very intensely trying to understand their meaning. Looking at each card, though, Mokuba could not figure out the relevance to the cards Seto had organized.

"So Nii-sama… what are you planning to do to make one hundred million dollars in one year? Do you think that's even possible?" Mokuba asked politely. Seto was coming close to flipping over almost half of the folded cards in front of him.

"It won't be a problem. You see Mokuba, business it just like a game." Mokuba turned his head and stared at Seto.

"A game?" Seto nodded, not turning to look at his brother back. He continued flipping his cards in the organized and timed manner. He stopped after he had flipped the fiftieth card in the pile.

"Look here. I have a hundred cards in front of me, right? So try to pretend that each card represents a piece of a company."

"Okay…"

"This is the part where it all becomes a game. What you want to do is own more cards than anyone else. If you're able to obtain that, you can control the company." Mokuba blinked for a moment as he thought it over in his head.

"Alright, so how many cards do you need for that?" Seto reached forward and flipped one last card.

"The magic number is fifty-one. No one can own more cards than you if you own fifty-one out of a hundred. That's how you win the game." Mokuba understood now. There was no other way anyone could own more than 51% of a company, and that was what Seto needed in order to take control. Seto turned to Lector, whom had been standing in the background silently with the money beside him. "Lector, I'm going to need you to go out and use all that money to buy 51% of a company for me."

"As you wish Sir, but what kind of company should I be looking for?" Seto smirked with confidence.

"Any kind, just make sure to buy a company that values its workers." Lector nodded with approval.

"Will do. I'll report back to you the minute I have found and bought the perfect company." Lector took the dolly and rolled it out of the room. Mokuba turned back towards his brother.

"Nii-sama, you're not going to go with him?" Seto was still staring at the cards intently.

"Nope. I trust Lector will be able to find just what I need. In the mean time, we'll wait here to see what he finds. It shouldn't take too long." Seto got up from his kneeling position on the floor, leaving his cards untouched and remaining in the position. Fifty-one were flipped up and forty-nine were folded down. "In the mean time, why don't we play a game of chess?" Mokuba looked up immediately.

"Chess?"

"Yeah, you still like the game, don't you?" Seto made his way back towards the shelves where he kept his chess board. Mokuba stood still, staring at his brother. Had Seto forgotten all about the incident that had happened nearly a year ago that partially included the chess board? Mokuba hadn't been able to forget the way that Seto had yelled at him that night, so full of hatred and honesty. The words had stung him, if not for what the actual words were, but the tone that he had used to say them in. Mokuba still found that he would wake up some nights from nightmares about it.

"...Yes," Mokuba gave a quiet reply. Seto, this time, found the chess board with ease and brought it down from the top shelf and walking it over to where Mokuba was. He placed it onto the ground.

"Good, so let's play." Seto placed the box of pieces beside it and both brothers began setting up the pieces in the correct order. Mokuba couldn't help but look up every now and then at his brother as they were setting up. His eyes would stare in curiosity at his brother work.

The way he moved, the way he looked; there seemed to be this dramatic change that occurred since the last they saw one another. His brother had truly matured into something more, something Mokuba couldn't quite put his finger on. Mokuba quickly looked away as Seto placed down the final piece.

"Ready?" Seto asked. Mokuba nodded and they began to play. In less than three turns, the game was over.

"Checkmate." Mokuba stared in disbelief at the board.

"What?" Mokuba was unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"I beat you. Wanna play again?"

"Uh, sure." Mokuba helped his brother re-set up the pieces on the chess board. Again, the game had ended more quickly than it took to set up. This time it had been less than two turns. Mokuba looked up at his brother with total shock. "You beat me… again. I wasn't even able to put up a fight. When did you get so good?"

"Probably from taking lessons in game theory, I seem to have a greater ability in that class than in foreign affairs, it seems." Mokuba looked up at his brother once more. His brother had beaten him with such ease, but Mokuba wasn't sure that this was the reason he was so shaken by his brother's victory. Maybe it was the way he had beaten him, that he had beaten him without a second thought to it. Seto was acting on pure impulses and self reliance, no more was he willing to make it easy for his younger brother. But was that really a change, or Seto just growing up?

"Would you like to play again?" Seto asked.

"No thanks," Mokuba said shyly, pushing the board away.

"Okay then," Seto said plainly as he began to put away all the pieces in the same box and fold up the board. Mokuba stared at his brother in disbelief. His brother was so different, his behavior, his tone of voice, his everything. Mokuba started to feel as though the changes that were evident in his brother could relate back to something else, something even more in depth than not letting his younger brother win. There was another side of him, Mokuba felt; that Mokuba had yet to see. This went beyond what had happened a year ago, in fact, it seemed it was much more serious than Mokuba had realized.

"Nii-sama?"

"Yeah Mokuba?" Mokuba took a deep breath. He couldn't believe he was actually about to ask this.

"Sir!" The door swung open and Lector stood there with a small brief case in hand. There was no dolly to be seen. Seto looked on at him from the floor.

"Well?"

"I found and purchased the perfect company." Seto smirked again.

"Excellent."

* * *

**A/N:** _That last word reminded me of Mr. Burns from The Simpsons. No joke, when I wrote that I thought of it in Mr. Burn's voice and it was kind of creepy… especially since Mr. Burns is a billion years old and Seto is only fifteen… acting like he's a bazillion years old ;] That was kind of a bad joke, but you work with what you've got. So I envisioned that a lot of you would be disappointed in me because I took so long to update, but I never figured you'd be dead! Just kidding… although I haven't heard from any of you guys and it makes me cry :[ Probably my fault though, when you die on the internet for too long, a bit of every reader's soul dies too with each passing day. Wow, I just depressed myself. Anyhow, I feel I shouldn't ramble any further. It wouldn't be right to you guys. So instead I shall end this on a note of; well, I kinda get the feeling nothing happened in this chapter except what happened in the show, but I hope that didn't annoy you/bore you. I promise after the first couple scenes in the next chapter we'll get back to having more original scenes and such. It'll be awesome. Thanks for reading!_

_P.S: Ever notice how my author's notes gone on forever and about one third of it will actually be about the story? The rest is pretty much just useless nonsense, it's kind of funny. _

_P.S.S: Ever notice how I always have a P.S. at the end of every chapter? Kinda makes you wonder why I'm incapable of saying all my thoughts in one thing and just being done with it. _

_P.P.S.S: I'm pessimistic today for no apparent reason :] You guys, my readers, you guys are amazing. Thank you again._


	15. Fifteen

MythCreatorWriter: It does hurt:'[ I mean, I definitely know it's the quality that counts, and I do appreciate that awesome quality I get from everyone, I just really needed reviews this past week to get me through cause I had been having a hard time. But now I'm over it, so it's all hunky dory over here! I don't know what Mokuba was about to ask, I think he was going to ask Seto if he did anything with his hair recently or something-hahaha, just kidding. That would be odd and out of character:] But seriously, I couldn't tell you, I'm not really sure myself(No one would've ever been able to guess I was the one writing this story) Sorry about the depressing author's note last chapter, this one is much better, I promise. Thanks for the review!

WhiteAsukalover: I wonder why your reviews keep getting cut-off, it doesn't make sense and it makes me cry!:[ I don't have an MSN, I have an AIM, but I really don't do instant messaging all that much anymore, I'm sorry. I've got too much stuff going on these days. But hey, maybe over the summer, okay? It'll be a date!(or a duel, whichever you prefer XP) Thanks for the review!

Patriot16: Thanks for the review!

KnotofRibbon: Orgasmic sigh, lol! That's so random and awesome!XD And thanks, I'm trying and planning to be as original as possible! I have always sort of had this picture in my head of what really happened and what life was like for them growing up in the Kaiba Household besides what they show us in the show, so it's pretty exciting to get it all out there now! Yeah, this story definitely takes cute and makes it creepy/darko.o I know Gozaburo is their step father, but they refer to him as their step father in the series so that's what I'm going off of. Although in the Japanese they refer to him as father… AHHHH, damn having two versions!. And it's okay, my memory is a bitch too. It probably is a bad joke, I would know, I tell them all the time *awkward drum beat… thing* Yeah, I'm CLEVER AS SHIT. Hahahaha, I think we're going to get along just fine, my friend ;] I'm glad to have kept your attention, and I like your username, it's very cool! Thanks again for the epic review, enjoy the chapter!

AmePiper: AME! Girl! Sorry I didn't write you a review response in the latest Consequences chapter! I didn't know what came over to me. Still planning on letting you know I love you and hope you're doing swell!:D You rock my socks and shoes, keep rocking and rolling!

Fifteen

It was taking everything in Mokuba to try and sit still as he watched the slide show in front of him. Mokuba couldn't help it, though. Seto owned a company, his very first company! Most kids were lucky if their parents saw them as responsible enough to get a cell phone, and yet here was Seto, managing a company. Mokuba found it very hard to listen to Lector as he went through the slides and explained the aspects of the company.

"…The best part is, as you had requested, this company is most known for treating the employees there like family," Lector finished.

"Well done, Lector. I'm very satisfied with this." Mokuba bounced up and down on the couch with excitement.

"This is so cool, Seto! Your very own company! Does that mean that it'll make you the money you need in a year?" Seto's eyes were focused on the slides and nowhere else. He didn't seem excited at all about ownership of this company, but he did have something else on his mind that made him content.

"Not exactly, Mokuba. This company doesn't make nearly enough money to do that. But there is one way I could use this company to get the money I need and that is by forcing the president to run the company my way." A hint of evil could be traced in his voice. Mokuba's mouth gaped a little, staring his brother's rather devious face. This didn't seem be like Seto at all, but at the same time, it did.

After all, it was by this tactic that Seto had been able to force Gozaburo into adopting them from the very beginning. The situation could almost be seen as identical when comparing both situations that Seto was in. When Mokuba made this connection in his head, his fear was instantly put out of mind.

Seto stood up from the couch.

"Lector, what time does the company close on a weekend day?" Lector had to think for a moment before answering.

"I believe it closes at nine, Sir."

"Good." Seto started to walk out of the room. Mokuba jumped up from his seat and went after him.

"Hey wait, Nii-sama! Where are you going?"

"I'm going to pay a little visit to the president of that company; we're going to have a quick chat, that's all. Lector, I'll need you to drive me there."

"Straight away, Sir." Lector replied, running ahead of Seto with the intent of preparing the car. Seto began walking once more and Mokuba followed. Seto eyed his brother out of the corner of his eye.

"Are you intending to come along, Mokuba?" Mokuba looked up.

"Well, of course. I want to be there just in case you need any help." Seto smiled. It was the first genuine smile Mokuba had seen in a long time that didn't even closely resemble a smirk or grin of some sort. It was reassuring, in a way, for Mokuba to see that and know that his brother was still his brother, even if he seemed different somehow.

"Alright then, welcome aboard." Seto said, before opening the door for Mokuba into the garage. They both got into the limo and were off to drive out to the company. Mokuba sat patiently beside his brother, swinging his legs back and forth as Lector drove. Mokuba would occasionally glance at his brother, seeking an opportunity to have a conversation with him, but always coming up with nothing.

Seto had his eyes fixated on the window next him, his expression of total seriousness and concentration. It was the same expression he had on his face when they were playing chess together. Mokuba found himself making a correlation from chess to this meeting with the president of the company similar to the statement that Seto had made earlier; business was like a game, so he must've been seeing this meeting as just another part of the game as well.

Mokuba pondered whether Seto was going to win this round of the game as fast as he had beaten Mokuba at chess. Mokuba couldn't doubt his brother's abilities, considering the prodigy he was, so Mokuba decided to wait and see what would happen. Just then the limo came to a stop as they parked in front of the company building. Lector held open the door for Seto as he exited the vehicle.

"So this is it?" Seto asked.

"Yes Sir, this is the company you have just purchased." Seto gave an under whelmed sigh.

"Well, this will make for an interesting meeting, won't it Mokuba?" Seto asked, briefly looking towards his brother.

"Uh… yes!" Mokuba replied awkwardly. He hadn't actually understood what Seto meant, but he agreed to it anyway. Seto began walking towards the building and the other two followed.

It was a plain and simple company, not really anything out of the ordinary or unexpected could be found here. Mokuba became bored quickly as they walked through the corridors of the average sized building. Mokuba didn't know what Seto could really do with this company anyway; it didn't even look promising as far as money was concerned.

The building itself was pretty run-down. The walls were scratched up, the floors were scuffed; the place could even be considered less than average. But Seto continued walking; not seeming to notice his surroundings of what it looked like. He remained silent up until he had gained entry into the president's office. The man behind the desk stood up upon Seto's entry.

"Ah, and you must be Mr. Kaiba, the man whom just bought our company. I must say, it is an utter delight to meet you!" The man walked up to Lector and began shaking his hand, "I didn't know you were going to be taking a visit here so soon, though! If I had known, I would've tidied up the place." The man gave a loud laugh. Lector stood awkwardly in front of him and pulled away.

"Actually, Mr. Kobuso, I'm just the assistant. This is the Mr. Kaiba you were referring to," Lector stepped back and presented Seto in plain view. Seto looked completely unprovoked by Kobuso's mistake. The man took a moment to stare at Seto before laughing again and shaking his hand instead.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Kaiba! Ha ha ha, I didn't know the big 'Mr. Kaiba' was going to be so young." Seto ignored his comment completely.

"How bout you stop with the small talk and start talking about business." Kobuso took back his hand and nodded slowly.

"Um… alright! That's fine with me. What is it that you would like to propose?" Kobuso asked as he walked back towards his desk and sat down. Seto grinned again, that evil grin that made Mokuba nervous.

"I'm not going to be proposing anything; I'm demanding that you buy back this company from me for ten times the price." Kobuso's eyes went wide, but didn't show a completely shocked face.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me correctly."

"You're joking." Seto's eyes narrowed. Seto didn't joke around and he was becoming impatient.

"I'm not much of a joker. Now I command that you buy it back from me." Kobuso got up from his seat and slammed both his hands on the desk.

"What?! You can't be serious. Why should I have to buy the company back from you for ten times the price?"

"Because if you don't, I'll shut this company down and leave your employees jobless." Kobuso narrowed his eyes as well. The once friendly and excited face had completely changed to anger and hatred. Seto had pushed him into a corner and there was nowhere he could run. Kobuso still felt the need to fight back, though, or at least make a stance. "Well?"

"But Sir, you must understand! We're are a small and modest company, such a spending from us would surely end in declaring bankruptcy. You must understand, even if I were to give you the money, this company would have to shut down anyway without the ability to pay back such a hefty fee. Don't you see? Our employees would lose their jobs anyway if you forced us to go along with such a deal." Seto gritted his teeth and sighed.

"Do you honestly think I care? I'm just here to make the deal and collect my cash, that's it. Now you can either sign off the deal now, or have me shut down the company tonight." Kobuso was shocked and offended. Seto was talking about his company and his fellow employees like they meant nothing to him. Kobuso realized there was nothing more he could do, either way, he was going to lose.

"You are… horrible, but you leave me with no choice. I'll do it." Seto grinned once more.

"That's what I thought," Seto turned away and made his way out of the room, "Lector, make sure to collect my money tonight. I don't want to receive it at a later time." Lector nodded.

"Yes Sir." Mokuba stood there, frozen, in complete shock. He just stared at Seto, he did nothing else. Mokuba didn't even notice that was what he was doing; he was in such a state of confusion and uncertainty. Seto stopped at the doorway when he realized Mokuba was walking behind him. He turned around.

"Well, come on, Mokuba. Let's go." Mokuba tried to shake off his feelings and ran across the room, but he couldn't. His heart felt heavy, and his head felt light. What was wrong with his brother? Why would Seto ever do such a thing to another person? Seto had never done such a dastardly thing before in the past. Mokuba felt he had to ask these questions sooner rather than later to get the straight answers he wanted.

When they exited the building that was when Mokuba decided to bring it up.

"Nii-sama, what was that?"

"What was what?"

"Why would you make such a move like that? Why would you leave him with no other options?" Seto couldn't understand why Mokuba didn't get it. It was simple psychology and statistics after all. Maybe Mokuba was too young yet to grasp what was going on.

"Because I wanted to win. And I did. I cornered my opponent and forced him to comply. Now I've made all the money I needed and therefore have passed Gozaburo's final test." Seto began walking once more, but was stopped by a pull on his shirt. Seto twisted around. Mokuba's face had twisted into an angry frown. "What is your deal?"

"Nii-sama, those people are all going to lose their jobs!" Seto stared at him.

"So? They shouldn't have been working at this dump in the first place. It's called 'research.' If they had spent a second reviewing this company's history they would've been able to figure out that this company was incapable of holding it's own for much longer. It's all there on file. So it's really not my fault, it's theirs."

"Nii-sama, how on earth could you blame them for something you caused? You were the one that pushed him into getting what you want! You're the one that's getting the money you needed, while the rest of them are all going to lose their jobs. How could you possibly be okay with that?" Seto sighed. Mokuba obviously didn't know the way a business worked, and he couldn't blame the kid. He was only ten years old.

Seto placed both his hands on Mokuba and looked down at him. "Mokuba, you should really take it from me and learn this lesson properly. The sooner you do, the more successful you'll be. And that lesson is that life is a game and if you're not in it to win it, then you might as well pack up and go home." And there it was, the phrase that Mokuba had come to despise most of all, Gozaburo's trademark saying, coming out of Seto's mouth for a second time. Seto now appeared to be chuckling to himself for some reason.

"Although in this case, I suppose the Kaiba Mansion would officially be our home now that I've passed Gozaburo's test." Seto said, jokingly. Mokuba couldn't believe what he had just heard. No, he could believe it, but he didn't want to. He was so furious now that he simply couldn't hold himself back.

"No." Seto stop chuckling and eyed him.

"What?" Mokuba pushed Seto's arms away and shoved him.

"No!" Seto furrowed his eyebrows, unsure by what Mokuba meant.

"What's your problem now?"

"NO!" Mokuba shoved Seto again, causing Seto to bring his arms up in defense. Mokuba continued to try and shove his brother to the ground, but Seto was still more than half his size and stronger. Seto was able to catch Mokuba's throws easily, but he was more confused by why Mokuba was throwing them in the first place.

"What's wrong with you?" Mokuba took a couple steps back before head-first tackling his brother. Seto had been completely hit off guard and fell to the ground with his brother on top of him. Mokuba quickly got up just as Seto began to recover from the sudden knock down. Mokuba stood hovering over Seto looking down, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Take it back." Seto sat up.

"Take what back? What are you talking about?"

"Just take it back!" Mokuba attempted to shove his brother again, but Seto caught his hands and stopped him from doing so. Seto kept a good hold on him to keep Mokuba from running off, as he was now attempting to do as he struggle to break free of his brother's grasp.

"Mokuba! What has gotten into you? What is going on?" Now Mokuba had started to let the tears flow freely down his face. Grappled in his brother's grip, he could make no escape. The reality was real, and he had to face it. Mokuba felt his body growing weak, but he wouldn't let it best him. He continued to struggle, to get away from his brother, to run away from the truth. "Mokuba! Look at me!"

Seto moved his hands from Mokuba's wrists to the sides of his face, forcing his younger brother to look him in the eyes. "Tell me." Mokuba was hyperventilating now as the boy began to sob. Mokuba didn't want to say it, and yet, even with the large lump in his throat, he managed to state it out loud.

"You're just like _him._" Mokuba made his final push and got out of Seto's hold finally. Mokuba fell to the ground as a result, but shakily was able to get crawl back up and started running down the sidewalk in the opposite direction of the limo. Mokuba would continue to run without stopping and without looking back, making his way home alone.

Seto remained on the ground, in shock and confusion.

Still, Seto did not understand what Mokuba's problem was. When Mokuba said he was just like 'him,' had he been referring to Gozaburo? And if so…

Was that really a bad thing? Seto was left pondering that question for the rest of the ride home up until they arrived back at the mansion. When they did, Seto had come to the conclusion that Mokuba was obviously having some issues of his own that had nothing to really do with him. Mokuba was probably upset about something else and that was why he exploded.

After all, Gozaburo had taught him the ways to becoming a successful business man and even better, a way to getting exactly what he wanted. And how could that possibly be a bad thing?

* * *

**A/N:** _Hola chicos y chicas, soy guardián de HiKari Mokuba here with another grammar concept. :](if any of you guys have ever taken Spanish, I'm sure you found that funny!) Actually it's not that funny, but for some reason I felt like putting it in there. Which is ODD because I'm totally EXCITED LIKE WOAH about this chapter since it was so good! Seriously, it turned out way better than I had planned it too, and it took way less time than it usually takes for me to write a chapter! You know, as I was writing this, I was planning to go very by-the-book and episode, but suddenly I was inspired and that last scene happened!(and that part about bankruptcy!) It was the greatest thing ever, I'm so excited! I hope you guys liked it as well, because there's a lot more where that came from! Thanks for all your wonderful reviews! _


	16. Sixteen

MythCreatorWriter: Okay, so I'm not sure how to respond to your review. Not because it wasn't great or anything, it was just your general statements are hard to respond to. No wait, I think I got my reviewing groove back. Okay! So with Mokuba's thing, I actually did a little something different that I am actually pleased with! It is true, most of my chapters are simply adequate to me, but this chapter in particular, I found, came out quite pleasantly. I'm very happy with it, and I hope you like it too! Thanks for your review!

SelenaKaiba: Oh, if only it was that easy for Seto to see the light… but then again, I wouldn't have a story, would I? Hahaha, thanks for the review!

KnotofRibbon: Ah, Death-T… I'm actually not going to be mentioning Death-T, a lot of this is working off of past events or flashbacks shown in the second series of YGO(although I will admit it is a mixture of both American and Japanese since they were adopted when Seto was ten, and in the American he was adopted when he was twelve) I don't like season 0 or series 1 really. It takes all the characters and kind of makes them backwards and although that makes the Yugi gang seem a little more appealing since they're a lot less annoying, it makes Seto a jerk to Mokuba and Mokuba a creepy brat, which I just don't like :[ But in other news, you should be very much excited about what I have planned for his death! I'm going to take a little bit of everything as I always try to do with epics like these and make a little something of my own from it :] It's going to be awesome, you'll see. Thanks for the review!

WhiteAsukalover: I sent you my AIM just now. And summer is only three weeks away for me, but it still feels like forever, unfortunately -.- Thanks for the review though!

Vampiric Dragonrider: Really? Well that's fantastic! I hope you like what you see!(and if you don't, I have 81 other stories to choose from and more to come, my friend;] This writer isn't going anywhere anytime soon) Thanks for the review!

Rena Redhead: Gahhhhh, I never know how to respond to any of your reviews because you make such complete and whole statements! D: Seriously, have I told you how you're descriptions make my stories sound way more kick ass than they actually are? It's kind of amazing, actually. It shows that you're a true writer, even in your reviews. You should be happy about that! Well I'm glad to see you're catching up, although I'm sure you're hating me for updating, YET AGAIN, hahaha. Well, I'm sure you have the time, I mean, since you're having fun with SENIOR EXPERIENCE and all, hahaha. Anyways, thanks for the review buddy!

AmePiper: Love :]

Sixteen

"1… 2… 3… 4…" He whispered quietly to himself as he paced back and forth. He stopped and growled with frustration when he reached ten. The numbers didn't calm him like he thought they would a second ago. He resorted back to taking deep breaths, which wouldn't last long because it almost annoyed him as much as counting. He decided he would turn back towards the cards lying in a mess on the floor.

Seto bent forward and scooped them up into his hand. He began swiping one after the other and flicking them out of his hand. As each one would fall, he would take a moment to watch them float to the ground before watching the next get flung in the air. After he had gone through about twenty cards, he threw the whole deck onto the floor in defeat.

Seto was tempted to simply walk out of the room, but he knew he wasn't ready. His heart was still pounding like crazy. Seto scratched his head with anger and started stretching his muscles. But nothing could make these nervous feelings go away, and it bothered the hell out of Seto. He knew his plans were perfect. He had gone over them time after time after time, staying up many hours in the night just to make sure each and every calculation was correct.

They were practically flawless. But this still would not ease his nerves.

"I can do this… I know I can…" Seto whispered to himself, feeling like a total idiot. It had been a very long time since he had been so nervous, and Seto usually never felt such feelings. Not even for exams he hadn't spent a moment to study for. Not even for speeches he wasn't even prepared to give. The truth was; there was close to nothing in the world that could make Seto Kaiba cringe with fear.

Nothing except this.

"That's it, I just need to get out of here and face it like a man," Seto stated as his final statement, marching out of the room with certain quickness. He was going to go out there and give it his all. He was going to tell it like it was. He was going to do what he had to do.

And there wasn't a thing in the world that could make him any less anxious. Seto tried his very best to walk straight but was finding it rather hard to find his balance. As his foot steps neared the left wing of Kaiba Corporation, he could feel his strength depleting with each step. He was frightened beyond belief even though he was sure it was perfect.

A week ago, he had done it. He had handed off his blue prints so carefully and so subtly that his step father hadn't even said a word when he had picked them up from the table along with the morning newspaper. Seto had developed such blue prints in the last year or so. They were completely original and thoroughly planned for perfection. These were the designs for, what would be; the latest virtual technology software. It would revolutionize the gaming experience, and possibly the entire gaming industry, if the technology became popular enough, which Seto was sure it would after a couple months on the market.

Now Seto was standing in front of the very door that held either his victory or his failure, possibly even… his destiny. Near the top, there was a gold plaque that read, 'President.' Seto felt his hands shaking as it neared the knob, but he forced himself to push on through. He needed this, he wanted this; Seto just had to convince himself of that to get over his fear.

By some magic, the door was opened and Seto walked forth.

"I thought I told you people to leave me alone… what do you need now?" The chair in front of the room slowly turned around until Gozaburo's face could be seen. His expression changed from aggravation to a sudden look of sick pleasure. "Ah, it's you, Seto. I wasn't expecting a visit." Seto gulped, firmly keeping his hands by his side.

"I came here to talk to you," Seto said in a stern voice, looking straight ahead into his step father's face.

"Oh, I see…" Gozaburo began opening a drawer in his desk and taking out a sheet of papers, "I have a feeling I know what this is regarding. You are aware, however, that I do not like to be disturbed with anything that doesn't pertain to work in my office during business hours, correct?" His eyes glanced down at the papers in his hands.

"I am, Sir. But I've been waiting a long time to discuss this with you."

"This is about your latest invention, correct?" Gozaburo put down the papers and looked up at Seto, "I'm sorry to say, but this is no good." Seto burned up and boiled instantly.

"What do you mean 'no good'? I worked my butt off to create that virtual video game software!"

"These designs are of no use to me. Kaiba Corporation produces machinery for war, not gaming technology. Therefore it would be a complete waste of time and money to manufacture." Seto stepped forth, holding one fist in the air in Gozaburo's direction.

"But this could be a huge hit! My designs could make this company billions of dollars! You just don't want to produce it because you can't admit that I invented something that you never could!" Gozaburo stood up and threw the papers at Seto. His index finger was pointing right in Seto's direction.

"Listen to me, you little brat. Kaiba Corporation makes vehicles of war, not games for children. This is my company, do you understand that? If you're ever going to take over this company, you'll have to forget about your games. I adopted you to learn MY business; a business of fighting battles and crushing your enemies, and rising to ultimate power!"

"You're making a huge mistake!" Seto yelled back, failing to hear the two other men that had entered the room.

"I don't have to take this. Security, get this boy out of my office." Before Seto could do anything, he was seized up by two body guards from behind and lifted off of the ground. Gozaburo stood and watched with a smirk as he was lifted and taken out of the room. Seto struggled and fought to try and break free, but it was of no use.

"You're going to regret this! I'll make sure you pay for this, no matter what it takes, I'll make sure of it!" Seto yelled at the top of his lungs as he was forced out of the room and had the door shut closed behind him. Seto made a promise to himself then that he would do it. That Gozaburo would pay for what he had done, and he would make sure the man would regret it too.

The moment they were outside of Gozaburo's office, Seto had stopped struggling. The guards carried him only down the hall to the elevator. They dropped him to his feet and pressed the button for him.

"The boss wants you to get out. Now will we have to escort you or can we trust that you'll do it on your own?" Seto held up his hand in a controlled manner. The image was the exact opposite of what Seto had been only moments ago when he was fighting like a blood hound to get out of their grasp and go for Gozaburo.

"I can escort myself, don't worry. You guys did a fantastic job." The guards looked at one another and shrugged just as the elevator opened.

"Whatever you say, kid. Just don't bother the boss again." Seto nodded and walked into the elevator. Just as the doors closed, the fake, friendly smile disappeared from Seto's face. He hated acting, but it was what he was going to have to do to make some friends around here in order for his latest plan to work. He had always had it in the back of his head for a while now, but after what Gozaburo had just done, Seto felt he was ready to put it into action.

First, however, he felt the need to consult the only person in the world he could trust with this plan. It was the one person that Seto was sure would stand by his side, through thick and thin, no matter the outcome of any circumstance. He would need that person's assurance before moving forward.

* * *

Mokuba loved half days. The day just seemed a bit brighter when school would let out at noon rather than three, and Mokuba couldn't complain about the bright and shining sun overhead. It was days like these that he enjoyed spending outside of the dreadful Kaiba Mansion, in the backyard near the garden. The blooming flowers would bring a smile to the young boy's face and for a moment, help him to forget the dreary place he was forced to call 'home'.

The birds were chirping merrily that sunny afternoon, and Mokuba was taking a nice stroll through the small maze set up in the huge backyard behind the Kaiba estate. Mokuba hummed silently to himself, enjoying the birds' songs and the rustling of the trees blowing in the wind. Mokuba's humming stopped when he heard a noise. He twisted around.

"Hello?" Mokuba heard nothing in return. He shrugged and went back to his humming. Another snap could be heard nearby. Mokuba stopped dead in his tracks once more. There was another presence in the maze. Mokuba couldn't hear the birds chirping anymore, all he could hear was the thumping of his rapidly beating heart.

"Mokuba." Mokuba opened his mouth to scream, but it was covered quickly by a hand. The other hand grabbed Mokuba's arm and dragged his body into another part of the maze, one that was more secluded. Mokuba opened his eyes to see who his kidnapped was and gasped.

"Nii-sama?"

"Shhh, keep it down, would you? I'm not supposed to be out here…" Seto said, looking around. Mokuba ran up and shoved him. Seto caught himself before he could fall backwards, looking back at Mokuba with a glare. "What was that for?!"

"Don't scare me like that!" Seto's hand was launched back onto Mokuba's mouth, much to the young boy's displeasure.

"Would you please keep it down?" Mokuba forced his brother hand off of his mouth.

"What do you want? Where have you been? How come I haven't seen you? What are you doing here?" Seto still wasn't completely focused on his brother, his eyes continued to shift as his hearing was kept alert.

"Look, I'll have to explain those things later. Right now I have something more important to tell you…" Mokuba was interested now. He crept closer over to his brother and finally began speaking in a low voice.

"Really? Like what?" Mokuba whispered. Seto turned his head and looked down at his brother.

"Mokuba… I'm thinking about… well, I'm thinking about doing something dangerous, something out of the book." Mokuba eyed him.

"And what would this be?" Seto took a deep breath.

"I'm going to take Kaiba Corp. from Gozaburo." Mokuba opened his mouth to scream again, but Seto was quick to keep him quiet. "Yeah, I still need you to keep it down." Mokuba threw off his brother's hand once again, only this time with a little more force.

"Take over Kaiba Corp.?!" Mokuba said in a hushed, worried voice, "Are you crazy? Do you know what Gozaburo will do to you if he finds out?!"

"I'm well aware of what could happen, Mokuba, but this is something I have to do. I'll never get the company from Gozaburo any other way if I continue to go along with his plans. I need to take it for myself, and I know just how to do it." Mokuba turned away and crossed his arms.

"I don't know Nii-sama… this seems awfully risky, and I'm not sure I like the idea of you coming into so much power at such a young age." Seto rolled his eyes.

"Mokuba, please, I'm sixteen years old. I'm not exactly young anymore." Mokuba knew this to be true, but it wasn't the real reason why he didn't like the idea of Seto taking over. It was the fact that Seto had changed so dramatically over the years that Mokuba felt that gaining so much power from taking over the very company that made Gozaburo corrupt in the first place would finalize the transformation Gozaburo had started with Seto. That scared Mokuba the most.

"Mokuba, that man is a sociopath; he's done nothing but hurt people with that company. Once I take over, I'm going to change it completely. I'm going to make it a company that produces games and gaming technology; something that will help society, not hinder it. With the money I'll make, I'll donate it to orphanages all around the world, and even start construction on Kaiba Land." Mokuba's eyes widened.

"When you say Kaiba Land, do you mean…?" Seto smiled a real genuine smile.

"Yes, the amusement park we talked about all those many years ago, back when we were still living in the orphanage. I want that dream to become true, Mokuba, and I want every orphan in the world to experience it, just as we had planned." Mokuba's face brightened with happiness. It was a spark, a sign; that his brother was still in there, somewhere. That Seto was still the same Seto, even if it seemed that everything else about him had changed.

"Nii-sama, that's great! I can't believe you even remember that…" Honestly, Mokuba had forgotten most of the events that had happened in the orphanage. It was scary to think that they had been living in the Kaiba household now for a record of six years. So much had changed since then.

All of the sudden, Seto grabbed both of Mokuba's shoulders and knelt down in front of him. Mokuba stood there, blinking at him, wondering what he was about to say.

"Look Mokuba, I know I can do this, I know I can take over Kaiba Corp. and win over Gozaburo in a way that will make sure he never bothers us again," The idea sounds ten times more appealing to Mokuba at the sound of Gozaburo being gone from their lives, "All I need is for you to tell me that I have you're complete support. I can't do this unless you're by my side, little brother. We can take our step father down… together. Are you with me?"

Mokuba's initial response was to say 'Yes!' but he knew this was an answer he had to think about. This could change everything if Seto succeeded. If he didn't… things could be far worse. Gozaburo would make Seto pay ten times more, and possibly find more horrible ways of making him suffer. Mokuba suddenly envisioned Gozaburo forcing Mokuba to go back to the orphanage by himself, separating the two brothers forever. Mokuba was intensely frightened by the idea of facing the orphanage again… alone.

But Mokuba looked into his brother's eyes and saw the one thing that assured him that his worries were nothing but menial worries. Inside his brother's eyes, there was a fire, a desire that showed him this was everything Seto wanted and that he would stop at nothing to get it. This fire, or burning desire, was possibly the only reason they remained living within the quarters of the Kaiba Mansion. This alone was probably the only reason Seto was able to even have an opportunity like this, to take over a multi-billion dollar company.

This was the reason why Mokuba nodded his head bravely and said, "I'm with you till the very end, big brother. Just lead the way." Seto smiled.

The two of them together were going to be unstoppable.

* * *

**A/N:** _Hello, hello! I don't know why you say goodbye, I say HELLO!:D Anyways, so, is this NOT exciting or what? I think it's pretty exciting. So I the second half of this chapter wasn't planned at all, but I'm super happy with what came out of it. It actually fits perfectly with what I have going right here and what's going to be happening next! I will admit that I was going to try and use this chapter to rush through the story, but I'm really happy I came up with this scene instead because I think it made my story a better one overall! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it, and I hope to hear from you guys soon!_


	17. Seventeen

MythCreatorWriter: Well, if you believe it, maybe I can believe it, friend. Woah I totally thought I was review replying for Consequences for a second there, thank goodness I didn't though!(review replying would be much easier if I remembered what happened in previous chapters. That literally is how bad my memory is, I don't remember half the stories I write, it's great.) Aw, don't feel sad about your comments being hard to respond to! That's not your fault! If anything it's mine! I'm a writer dammit! I should be able to write anything by COMMAND! Like SUPERMAN! Or something cool like that. I can't wait either; it's going to be epic! But for now, enjoy this fresh twist I have going on here! Thanks for the review!

SelenaKaiba: Hey, haven't I seen you before? I feel like I've seen your username in a review in the past, have you read any of my past stories before? Or maybe it's just my bad memory… hahaha, well, thanks for reviewing anyways!

Lace Kyoko: Thank you! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Ash Kaiba: Hey, don't worry about it! You're fine, trust me:] I like your language usage in your review; it definitely caught my attention when you said "the next installment." It was cool, that's something my dad would say! Wow that's random, but anyways, good to have you with us and reading, and thanks for the review!

WhiteAsukalover: Oh baby, it's ALREADY fun;] Thanks for the review!

KnotofRibbon: I KNOW GOZABURO'S DEATH IS LIKE THE MOST AWAITED THING EVER! I feel like EVERYONE is waiting for that scene. Oh my gosh, dude, I bet you anything this is going to be like 'The Dark Knight' for comic book lovers. Like everyone's so excited, they know it's going to be awesome, but also they're totally scared it's going to be a fluke. Or maybe that's what I'm scared of. Or wait, no I'm not, I already know it's going to be awesome! And wow, this is me rambling to myself-.- Hahaha! And hey, thanks for believing in my edge, I think I'm starting to re-believe in it too now!:D Thanks for your review and enjoy!

Seventeen

"Seto, as Kaiba Corp.'s board of directors, we're curious about why you have called us here," asked Johnson. Seto sat apart from the five, with his legs crossed in a business manner. Seto didn't want to waste any time for there wasn't much time to lose to begin with. His plan was about to be put into motion.

"Let me get right to the point, you are all very talented men yet my father treats you all like dirt. That's why I've assembled you all here to present you with the proposition of your lives." Each of them looked shocked and a little uneasy. They didn't know what to expect. "If you guys help me with this, we can rule Kaiba Corp. together as a team." The five were most certainly baffled, but Seto continued to keep his cool. He had to come off as confident and in control if he were to get these five to be part of his team.

"Could you give us a moment, please?" Nesbitt asked.

"Of course," Seto replied, coolly. This would work, he knew it would. Seto had no doubt that it would take little to no convincing to really get this done. The Big Five, although they were basically the five leaders of Kaiba Corp. under the dictator rule of Gozaburo, weren't the brightest bunch as people. Not to mention the fact that many of them could be easily be driven by the forces of money or revenge.

They continued to whisper for about a minute or so before breaking away and turning back towards Seto. Seto was mentally preparing to give all the right answers to all of their questions.

"So, what do you gentlemen think? Do we have a deal?" Seto asked, holding out his hand as he was ready to seal the deal.

"Not quite, Seto," Crump said, "We're not buffoons, we want to know exactly what you're signing us up for."

"That's no problem at all. It's a simple plan," Seto leaned forward in his chair, "All I'm talking about is take over." The room got deathly quiet. But Seto continued on, "You see, what I need you five to do is slowly start buying up stocks of the company, if each one of us does this in a reasonable and subtle fashion, we'll be able to gain enough to shares to possess the 51% we'll need to take over."

"I'm not going to lie to you, Master Kaiba, but this sounds like an awfully dangerous plan," Lector stated.

"I agree, surely you don't think we would be foolish enough to join the likes of you with a plan like this," Gansley added, "After all, you're nothing but a child. Why on earth would we trust a kid to run a plan like this?" Seto furrowed his eyebrows.

"I'm beginning to hate this accusation that being a sixteen year old makes you a child."

"Oh come now, Seto, look at yourself. You're more than half of all of our ages, not to mention you haven't been working here for merely a fraction of the time we have. What makes you think you have what it takes to defeat Gozaburo?" Johnson asked. Seto was becoming aggravated now, but he was trying to keep himself collected. These five didn't know what they were talking about, but Seto still needed their contributions for his plan to work.

"Do I need to remind you five of my achievement a year ago?" A couple of them rolled their eyes.

"So you were able to accomplish Gozaburo's little task he gave you in less than a week. Big deal, it's not like Gozaburo expected you to fail," Lector said. Seto eyed him.

"It's true. He might've talked it up to be this impossible thing, but Gozaburo knew from the beginning that you would be able to do it. You are his protégé." Seto didn't exactly agree with any of these assumptions. Quite frankly, it annoyed him to think that his final task was too menial to be considered a real accomplishment. But Seto really didn't have the time to argue such things; he needed to seal the deal.

"Look, disregarding my business experiences in the past, what is it that makes you believe I don't have the ability to take over?" Seto asked, gritting his teeth. Each of them had a look on their face that told Seto they knew exactly what to say.

"An ego is a dangerous thing, Seto, and we have to wonder whether you have it in check. Gozaburo is a cruel and devious man, but he is quite cunning and intelligent, especially when it comes to his company. We think you're underestimating the man that he is and the skills he possesses," Johnson paused, "In a business world like this, we can't afford underestimation. If Gozaburo were to ever find out about this before you were able to take over, he would have us fired instantly."

"That's right, and that's not a risk we're willing to take!" Crump stated, crossing his arms, "And if you don't do this right, you'll lose. And if you lose, we'll all lose." Each of them began gathering up their papers and neatly stacking them in their briefcases.

"We're sorry but it's far too great of a risk to do business with you. Perhaps there will be a chance for us to work together in the future, although you have proven yourself during the time you have begun working here, but it's not enough to convince us to risk our jobs."

"But if we did succeed, you could make millions! I've got plans for this company, good, money-making plans. Gozaburo may not hear me out, but that's where his age and experience blinds. What I have on my hand, gentlemen, is a formula for success and whole lot of money. And I'll be willing to split it evenly; we can run this place together! I just need your support." Seto was becoming desperate. It seemed that even his last statement didn't seem to have any effect on them. None of them looked convinced at all, and a couple continued eyeing the door from behind him.

Seto had to think fast, he was losing his crowd. He looked away for a moment to try and think. There had to be a way to stop them from leaving, he had to bribe them in some way into helping him with what he needed to do… but where would that come from, and what would he have to offer?

At this point, the Big Five had given up on telling Seto they were leaving; they all turned away and started walking towards the door without another goodbye. Seto kept flexing his hands nervously. Seto knew a bit about marketing and he had a hunch that the minute those five walked out the door, the deal would never be done. He needed something to real them back in, he had to insure them in some way… Seto's eyes shot open.

"Wait!" Seto called, stopping the business men just as they were about to walk out, "I have another proposition to make." Nesbitt, whom was first in line by the door, let go of the knob.

"We certainly hope this won't be another waste of time, Seto. I'm beginning to grow impatient." Seto ignored his comment.

"Look, I know this is a bit risky, but it'll be worth your while if we triumphed in the end as a team. But, on the off chance that this does not succeed, I have something to give you as a token of gratitude for your dedication."

"What do you have that will interest us?" Seto took a deep breath and looked up.

"After my parents died, the rest of my family members took most of the assets in my parents' name. All except for one in particular, something they overlooked. My parents had invested a lot of cash in the stock market, saving up for my and Mokuba's college funds. My relatives never found evidence of it, so the thought never came to mind. But I have the receipt that declares my ownership of the stocks and if this plan does not succeed and you lose yours jobs, I will cash the funds and split the money equally between you five, no questions asked." They were all silent; some were showing liking towards the idea, some even seemed impressed. "What do you say?"

None of them looked displeased at this point. They nodded in unison together.

"I think that's a done deal, Mr. Kaiba. Happy doing business with you." Seto rose from his seat and shook each of their hands, finally letting them walk out of the room. After the last one had left, Seto let out a long breath of air and slumped forward.

"Damn that was difficult," Seto said to himself, looking around the room. He spotted a stray suitcase in underneath the table. He picked it up and looked at it. Violently, he released the suitcase from his hand and kicked it across the room. "DAMMIT!" Seto yelled, ready to beat someone up.

Then a strange sickness came over him and Seto felt the urge to throw up. Slowly, he eased himself back down into his chair and let his arms fall off of the sides of the handles. Out of nowhere he brought up a fist and slammed it onto the armrest.

"Why the hell did I just do that? What the fuck was I thinking?" Seto said to himself, rubbing his temples. Uncontrollable flashbacks began to emerge from the inner depths of his subconscious. Images of his mother's smiling face could be seen quite clearly inside his head, her voice slowly echoing in the back ground…

_"Seto, you are such a good son…" Seto's mother said from the rocking chair she was sitting in. She was rocking slowly, back and forth, watching her eldest son as he diligently did the dishes under her supervision. "You're going to become a fine lad indeed, helping your mother out at such a young age…"_

_Her soft and gentle hand gently stroked the large, protruding belly that lay in her lap underneath her maternity shirt. "My baby boy is going to be so lucky to have a big brother like you; I just know you're going to take good care of him." Seto took a moment from cleaning the counters to give his mother a delightful smile in return for her compliment, then he went right back to cleaning the kitchen. Underneath it all, though, Seto could never get his fill of his mother's praise._

_"In fact… Seto, because you have been so responsible lately, I decided to give you a little reward." Now Seto couldn't resist. He placed the sponge he was using to clean the counter tops down and hopped off the stool he was standing on eagerly. _

_"A reward?" Seto's face was beaming with excitement. Seto's mother slowly nodded. She stopped rocking for a moment to grab her purse. Shuffling through her things, it only took her about a minute to take out a small sheet of paper. "What is it, Mommy?" Seto's mother held it out towards him._

_"Come look at it yourself." Seto ran forward and snatched it out of her hand. His eyes stared at the paper, but he was still too young yet to make sense of it. He looked up at his mother, fearful that he would disappoint her. _

_"I don't understand what it says…"Seto said in a sullen tone. Seto's mother coaxed Seto to come over to the side of the rocking chair, Seto did as she asked. Seto's mother held out the paper in front of him. _

_"This sheet of paper is documentation of the college funds I've been investing for you since the day you were born. I've been adding some in for your brother as well in the last couple months, hoping you will be mature enough to share it with him when the time comes…" Seto was still confused, but he hated to admit it. His mother picked up on this right away and began to explain further. _

_"A fund is a certain amount of money that you can invest in the stock market. So it's like this sheet of paper represents that amount of money. You can take it out whenever you want it, but the idea is that you invest your money in the market so that it will grow in time. So the money I put in now will grow to be enough for you and your brother to use to go to college, basically. Do you understand it a little better now?" Seto nodded his head. _

_"Good, because you'll to be in charge of it now only if you promise me you will only use it for either you and your brother's college or if it comes down to it, an emergency. Do you understand? Can I trust my little man with that responsibility?" Seto at the idea of having both responsibility, a sign of maturity, and his mother's trust, so he nodded his head. _

_"Yes Mommy, I promise to only use it for those two things!" Seto's mother smiled._

_"That's my boy." _

"Nii-sama?" Seto jerked forward and turned around. Mokuba was clinging to the doorway, peering into the room cautiously. "Is it okay if I come in?" Seto sat up and straightened out his suit. How long had he been sitting there? Had he fallen asleep? What had just happened?

"Yes, yes, of course," Seto said, jumping out of the chair to greet his brother. Mokuba walking over to him slowly, he couldn't keep his eyes from wandering around the room as if looking out for trouble.

"So… how did it go?" Mokuba whispered.

"How did it go? Oh, well… it went, well, it was great!" Mokuba looked up excitedly.

"Yeah? So they went for it?" Seto gulped.

"Yep! They most certainly did."

"Awesome! I was beginning to worry out there for a while. I decided to wait in the lobby because I couldn't contain myself; I had to see how it would go! But you were in there for a really long time, like almost an hour! And I began to worry that they might not have gone for the deal… but it's good to hear that they did!"

"Yeah…" Seto looked off to the side as Mokuba ran ahead of him. "They sure did…" Seto whispered to himself. He stopped walking for a moment and watched his brother run out of the room with glee. Seto couldn't help but think back to his mother and the one responsibility she had entrusted him with before she was on her death bed. She had trusted him to make the right decision about the funds she had invested… and less an hour ago he had bet it away.

"I'll make it up to you, Mokuba…" Seto said under his breath as he started moving forward again, "I promise. Once this plan falls through, I'll make sure you have the life you deserve and you'll be able to go to the best college in the country. I'll do the right thing in the end, I'll make Mom proud."

With thoughts and goals aside, Seto had to focus on the present and in the future. Now that the Big Five were with him, it was time for phase two of his plan.

* * *

**A/N:** _So… what did you guys think?! I know it took a while to do, but I think it turned out nicely! The reason it took so long was because I had written it up, but I knew I had done a sloppy job and that I would have to re-write a lot of it and I didn't want to and… yeah, you get the drift, right? Human nature, duh! That's what it's all about, isn't it? Anyways, so I actually liked this chapter and my own little take on how the deal was done as well as with the college funds thing. Although I liked this chapter, I'm happy to have it end because as you all know, when one chapter ends, that brings us another chapter closer to the EPIC DEATH OF GOZABURO KAIBA. Which I am JUST as excited as you are to do, it's going to be fantastic! Anyways, thanks for reading, check out my twitter sometime if you're bored or wondering what I'm doing story-wise(maybe know when I'm going to update this story rather than Consequences) The link is at the of my profile, check it out if you ever feel like it! I'll make sure to keep you guys more in the loop than I have with my story status. XP Thanks again for reading!_


	18. Eighteen

MythCreatorWriter: Oh so you like the way I title my chapters? Thank my 12-year-old self! As you may or may not remember, I wrote the first chapter a bazillion years ago and I titled it One and I think I had always plan to title the rest like that. I'm always trying to come up with new ways to write out titles because after 82 stories, it can seem like the same old stuff too much. I'm actually pretty good at writing stuff out on demand. Once in English class we were doing journals and my teacher would put up quotes and we were supposed to respond to them. But I never really liked the quotes and would instead write about what my friends in the class were doing… okay, wait, this story is going to be way too long to put in a review reply. Maybe I'll send it to you in a message… I'm not sure though. Sometimes I feel bad because I worry that I put you through these random rants of mine but at the same time you usually respond to everything I say so I feel like you are interested in hearing them. Eh, we'll see what happens. If you message me asking about it, I'll gladly message you back with the rest of the story:D Anyways, yeah, you might be right. I have written a lot of epic tales of love and heart ache, so it's hard to remember them. Although, I'm sure everyone must think that because I've written 82 stories that all center around mainly just two characters, people probably think I repeat ideas a lot, which is not true because although I may never remember my stories, I will ALWAYS remember a scene that is somewhat similar to another scene I've done in a previous story. Like this story, when Mokuba said that Seto was becoming like him-aka Gozaburo, I felt bad because Mokuba had thought or said that EXACT same thing in… wow, I can't even remember the title. But it was the one where Mokuba was worried that Seto hated him and Seto was worried that Mokuba blamed him. That story, lol. Wow this is running long, DANG IT! Okay, so thank you so much for what you said! I'm honored to hear that I've been making this believable enough to see happen while also putting an original twist on it. It's what I aim to do with all of my stories! Anyways, I better run because this is EXTREMELY long, thanks again though for the review!

Lace Kyoko: Thanks for the review! As a graduating senior… (SENIORS '09 LOL) I was happy to have the one thing that made me stress out the most the entire year help me with my story in some way. :]

Lil girl pink: I did actually miss you! I was wondering where you went. :3 No need to be sorry, it's good to hear from you again! And I'm happy to hear that you are still satisfied with where I have gone with my story. Thanks so much for the review!

Ash Kaiba: Aw, thank you for that kind review! I shall always keep it up.:D

WhiteAsukalover: TRUE LIFE. Hahahaha, thanks for the review!

Eighteen

Seto was sitting at his desk in his room, his eyes gazing out of the window. The rain was crashing against the window. Flickers of lighting were seen from the second floor of the Kaiba Mansion, followed by the roar of thunder in the distance. The weather had been this way for days now, and reports showed it wouldn't change.

Seto had been sitting there for the past couple hours, and hadn't made a single attempt to move since. He appeared calm to anyone who looked at him at the right angle, but this wasn't true in any way, shape, or form. No one would've been able to speculate, not even Lector, whom had become Seto's right hand man in the last couple weeks since their plan had been put into motion.

Upon that thought, Seto heard a knock on his bedroom door and his eyes shot open. Although he said nothing, a few minutes later, he heard the door open and he was sure he knew who it was.

"Seto, I'm sorry to bother you. I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Seto pushed his chair away from his desk and twisted it around. He leaned back in his chair.

"No bother at all, Lector. I'm glad you're here. What's the status report?"

"It's going smoothly, Sir. We've been buying up the stocks at the rate of which you commanded, and so far there have been no signs of Gozaburo having any knowledge of what's going on at all. Everything is going according to plan." Seto shook his head and looked away. He stood up.

"I'm going to have to disagree with you, Lector." Lector was staring at Seto, confused.

"What do you mean?" Seto folded his arms behind his back in a very business-like manner.

"I feel that there is a rat among us and I have reason to believe that he has already gone to Gozaburo and told him of our plans." Lector took a step back in shock.

"What?! How could that be?" Lector shook his head, "No, forgive me, but I think you are mistaken. The only people who are aware of this plan are you, I, and the rest of the Big Five who wouldn't dream of doing anything that might ruin this. We wouldn't risk losing our jobs." Seto turned toward Lector.

"You seem to be forgetting one other person who is aware of these plans…" Lector thought for a moment and looked down. Who could Seto be referring to? The answer came at him in a flash. There was only one person he could be talking about.

"Sir… are you suggesting that… Mokuba, your own brother, is the snitch?" Seto nodded and looked away once more.

"I'm afraid so." Lector couldn't believe this. Seto truly believed his brother would do something like this? It was true that Lector hadn't observed the boys' relationship that closely, but from the time he had spent with them in the past year, he could tell that the two of them had a very strong bond. Mokuba, especially, considering he looked up to Seto like a child would look up to his father.

"But Seto… I just can't see that happening. I don't see why Mokuba would do such a thing. I cannot picture him committing such an act against you." Seto was silent. Lector had come to understand some of Seto's behaviors. Usually in any argument, Seto would only become silent if he had grown tired of fighting for his view on things. It would not necessarily mean that he would agree with his opponent, it just meant he had stopped trying to prove his point.

Lector still couldn't wrap his mind around the idea of Mokuba turning on Seto, though. It just wasn't plausible.

"Seto… I must ask, do you truly think that your little brother would be capable of doing something like this?" Seto walked back over to his desk and sat down once again. He glanced at Lector for a moment before shaking his head. Obviously Lector didn't understand what was going on.

"Yes, I do Lector, for even children are capable of treachery," Seto said, "Now if you will, gather the rest of the Big Five and tell them to meet with me here in an hour. I will explain the situation to them and then proceed to take proper action against the culprit." Lector nodded.

"Yes Sir, I'll tell them right away." With that, Lector left the room, but his doubts still remained. Mokuba? Betraying his brother? Lector couldn't see it happening in a million years, but Seto seemed so sure it was true. Lector wouldn't know a reason why Seto would think otherwise; this was his younger brother they had been talking about in the first place. But he would comply with Seto's order and get the others. Surely Seto would explain things more in depth when they all met together.

* * *

"Hello?" Mokuba called again into the door. Mokuba shrugged and knocked on the door for a third time, a little louder this time. "Hello?? Seto, are you in there?" Mokuba dropped his head. He had been knocking on that door for the past ten minutes, what could Seto be doing in there? Mokuba was standing in front of his brother's study, the exact place where his brother had told Mokuba he would meet. But Mokuba had been standing there for ten minutes and still Seto hadn't made an attempt to open the door.

Mokuba had already begun to think that his brother wasn't even in the room. He had tried opening the door himself, but it was locked. Maybe Seto had gone to the bathroom and was coming right back? Mokuba sighed, he didn't know where his brother had gone, but he was positive of the time and place Seto told him to wait to meet up with him.

Mokuba finally gave up knocking and leaned against the door. He brought up his right hand and looked down. His hand was clutching his brother's dueling deck; Seto had left it in his room a couple days earlier when they had been taking a break from their plan to play a game of duel monsters together. Mokuba didn't even care that his brother had beaten him in every game; it was just nice to spend some time with him that didn't involve work. Lately that was all it had ever been about.

Mokuba looked up when he heard footsteps coming from down the hall. He spotted Seto walking towards him and got up smiling.

"Nii-sama!" Mokuba said with delight as Seto approached where he was standing, the Big Five following from behind. Mokuba stopped and was surprised to see the Big Five were there as well. "What's going on? I got your message, Nii-sama, but you never said the Big Five were going to be with you. Is there a reason?"

"There he is," Seto said in a stern voice, completely ignoring Mokuba's previous comment as he moved in closer. Mokuba looked around at the Five and became even more confused when he saw how angry they all looked. Had Mokuba missed something? Mokuba looked up to see his brother continue to walk towards him, causing Mokuba to back away. "We've been looking all over for you."

This didn't help explain things for Mokuba. The boy titled his head.

"What are you talking about, Nii-sama?" Mokuba backed up against the wall behind him. Mokuba wasn't afraid; he was just unsure what this was all about. Seto was staring deeply into his eyes. On the outside, he looked extremely peeved and ready to battle, but Mokuba sensed he was trying to hide something even greater. Mokuba couldn't figure it out.

"Don't act like you don't know," Seto said, grabbing Mokuba's shoulders with intensity. Mokuba jumped a bit from surprise, his brother had never handled him in such a way. Mokuba looked up at his brother.

"What are you talking about?" Seto took in a deep breath. His expression seemed plastered onto his face, like it didn't seem to fit him that well deep down. But Mokuba didn't understand what that meant, or what it could lead to. Seto bit his lip before making his next move.

With a blink of an eye, Seto's arm had been raised and his hand went across Mokuba's face. Mokuba's entire head swung to the side because he hadn't been expecting the blow at all. Mokuba slowly turned his head back to look at his brother, his eyes wide. Mokuba dropped the entire deck of cards he had in his hand onto the ground.

"Nii-Nii… sama?" Seto grabbed Mokuba's shirt and shoved him against the wall.

"You told Gozaburo everything, didn't you?! You revealed our entire plan. How dare you!" Seto took his knee and jabbed it hard into Mokuba's stomach. Mokuba bent all the way forward, paralyzed by both pain and shock. His brother was beating him up… never in his life has Seto laid a finger on Mokuba until this day. The realization made the pain even more catastrophic.

Seto's head was bent down; his bangs darkened his face in a way that made it hard to see his eyes. Slowly, Seto held out one arm to catch Mokuba as he lowered his knee. Then with a sudden quickness, Seto forced Mokuba back onto his feet and to stand up straight.

"Well??" Mokuba was standing very still; he was hunched over a bit with his arm wrapped around his stomach. He looked up, shaking his head.

"Nii-sama… it wasn't me." Seto gritted his teeth, taking Mokuba by the shirt once more and shoving him against the wall.

"How could you betray me?!" Mokuba's back was slammed against the wall and his head flung back from the impact. Mokuba was no longer paralyzed but now completely shocked. He stared at his brother with disbelief. This couldn't be happening, why was his brother hurting him? Mokuba hadn't done anything wrong; he didn't know what Seto was talking about!

"Nii-sama, you have to believe me! I didn't tell Gozaburo anything!" Seto grabbed Mokuba by the collar of his shirt and threw him to the ground. The scattered cards on the ground floated in the air a bit when Mokuba's body fell.

"Don't give me that, you liar!" Seto yelled; he turned towards the Big Five, "Take this kid out of my sight!" Crump and Gansley took Mokuba by each arm and hoisted him up from the ground. Mokuba was still yelling to his brother.

"Nii-sama! It wasn't me! It wasn't me! Please, don't do this!" Mokuba screamed at the top of his lungs, tears clearly streaming down the side of his face. Seto had turned away from him and stayed that way until Mokuba's screaming could no longer be heard.

The three remaining Big Five members were silent, all eyes were on Seto. Seto was calm and emotionless.

"I'll be in my study if you need me. The rest of you get back to work…" Seto said in a hushed voice, unlocking the door to his study and closing it behind him. None of the Big Five members said anything; they simply did what they were told. Lector was baffled by the scene that had just occurred, even as he left to return back to work. What was wrong with Seto?

On the opposite end of the Kaiba Mansion, Mokuba was still being carried off by Crump and Gansley. At this point, Mokuba didn't even attempt to break out of their grips when they turned out of the hallway. At this point his body simply gave in and he continued to sob in silence. His body hurt and it was at the hand of Seto, his own big brother. Seto had never ever hurt Mokuba, ever. The two of them never even wrestled as children, Seto was simply too delicate and too protective of a brother who always worried about Mokuba's safety.

Now this? All because he believed Mokuba had ruined his plan? Mokuba couldn't believe what this whole thing had turned him into. It was obvious Seto had become paranoid and one ounce of doubt had forced him to turn on his only brother, the one person he was supposed to be able to trust.

When Gansley and Crump had gotten to Mokuba's room, they didn't even open the door for him; they dumped him onto the ground in the hallway and that was that. Both of them seemed proud of their actions as well.

"Humph, good riddance. That kid was dead weight anyway," Mokuba heard Crump say as he and Gansley began walking away. Mokuba was still crying, even as he lay on the ground in a curled up position. Not because of what they had said, though, Mokuba was still fixated on what his brother had done to him. This wasn't him, this wasn't like him. Seto would never in his right mind do this sort of thing…

Mokuba stopped sniffling for a moment. It was obvious now.

Seto's transformation had been completed, Gozaburo had done it. Seto had made the full switch from being a sweet and kind hearted boy to transforming into an exact replica of Gozaburo. That was the only explanation Mokuba could come up with for Seto's violent behavior towards him. And there was nothing Mokuba could do about it. Mokuba was filled with more dismay than anger when he thought about it.

He had lost his one and only brother. Now Gozaburo was his keeper. Soon enough, Seto would probably try to kill Mokuba off. It sounded like an extreme, but Mokuba recalled the horrifying story Gozaburo had told them a few years back on his birthday and the way Gozaburo had gotten rid of his own mother without hesitation.

It was a horrible thought, one that he didn't want to come true, but feared it might've already happened. Seto wanted that company so bad…

Mokuba slowly got up from the ground. He needed to talk to someone, he wanted someone to hold him and tell him it was okay. But the only person that came to mind that Mokuba felt could really do that was Seto and unfortunately… Seto was the reason Mokuba was crying his eyes out to begin with.

Mokuba wrapped his arms around himself and started walking through the halls. Tears were still flowing down his face as his thoughts became darker and full of the loneliness he felt without his brother around to take care of him. Who was he supposed to run to? What other person came close to the father figure Mokuba so desperately needed?

Mokuba continued to walk slowly through the halls with these thoughts in mind when he heard footsteps nearby. Mokuba looked up, hoping it was his brother, hoping Seto had come back to apologize. But Mokuba didn't see Seto, instead, he saw someone he didn't expect nor felt he needed to see. Mokuba stopped in his tracks when the person noticed him back.

It was Gozaburo. And he looked surprised to see Mokuba wandering through the halls all by himself. There was a different aura about him that followed. Mokuba didn't know whether to be afraid or confused.

"Mokuba?" Gozaburo said as he took a closer look at Mokuba's tear stained face, "Is that you?" Then Gozaburo asked a question Mokuba never saw coming.

"What's wrong?"

* * *

**A/N:** _Hey guys! Kari here! So, I'm really excited because I just planned out basically everything that's going to happen from this point on to when Mokuba gives Seto the 2%-OMG SPOILERo But yeah, I'm really excited mainly because I didn't have the slightest clue of what I was going to do(for if you have seen the show, this part is where things get a little tricky and hard to understand, the anime doesn't explain it well) until yesterday when I was walking home after seeing Up and the scenes just came to me! Unfortunately, I LOVE everything that happens in this chapter, but I don't like how I wrote it. I tried editing it, but it still seemed not as strong. Hopefully I'll get back my edge with the following chapter. I'm REALLY excited because I know what I'm going to write and then after that comes the scene we've all been waiting for! In the mean time, thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you soon!_

_P.S: So… I've been kinda nervous lately, about said scene that everyone has been anticipating because let's face it, when you've got a big scene everyone is waiting for, I think it's simply human nature to worry about screwing it up. Although I think it is as epic as I have been building it up to be, I worry all the same. But I talked to my boyfriend the other day and told him what I had planned and he felt that it was as epic as I had told you guys it would be, so that's my cue to tell you guys; YES. It will be amazing. Okay, sorry for the short, silly rant. See you later!_


	19. Nineteen

WhiteAsukalover: I tried to update soon, but then everything died. Oh well, thanks for the review!

Lil girl pink: Um, can anyone say greatest response ever? "Yum yum, girlie." I think so, hahaha. Your review made me laugh so much, it was great! I'm glad to hear from you again, you always make me laugh and feel special!:] Thanks for the review!

Ash Kaiba: Sometimes I wish Kazuki had put this in the series too, but at the same time I like it because it allows for me to be as creative as I want. That's the greatest thing about giant plot holes or missing links; it gives fanfiction a chance to be a lot more fun! Thanks for the review!

SelenaKaiba: If you're crying, I'm doing my job! Haha, just kidding, although slightly not(I'm a writer, we aim for those kinds of reactions.) And your speculations were correct! Thanks for the review!

Lace Kyoko: Yeah, I hated it too. And it was rather confusing in the anime, even when they explained it in the anime, it made no sense. So I've changed how things go down a little bit, just to make things a bit more clear. I won't go further into detail, but I will say that you'll find out soon enough what's going on! Thanks for the review!

MythCreatorWriter: Yeah, well, I'm a writer. It's my job to hate my stuff, except for when it's exceptional. But it's better when a writer hates their work and has a reason for it, like I do for this chapter, which is… that it was really hard to write. But I won't go into it since I talk about it a lot in the author's note a bunch already. Don't be discouraged that my stuff has stuff you want to put in; there's no such thing as a perfect writer, mainly because writing is something that ALWAYS has room for improvement. There is always something to be worked on, and I know I have a lot to work on myself. You just have to keep at it and at it so you can get better. I try to have little details like that all the time so that it makes my story seem a bit more valid(to me, at least) I JUST WISH I COULD SKIP TO THE PART WHERE GOZABURO DIES SO BAD!o But alas, I cannot… for even the most annoying parts must be written to get to the awesome parts of a story;.; And in response to your question; all will be revealed in time. Everything will be answered at the end. Thanks for the review!

Nineteen

He was going to be truthful about this; he didn't really care. To put it quite plainly the thoughts that were going through his head; he didn't give a flying fuck about Mokuba. But Gozaburo had, of course, intentions of his own and questions he wanted answered. Gozaburo hadn't seen Seto in a while. This wasn't as much of a surprised as some may have perceived, for there was a certain reason behind it.

After Seto had proven himself by paying Gozaburo back and completing the task, Gozaburo wanted to keep Seto busy so that he wouldn't become bored or be lead astray. Instead of coming up with a lesson of his own, Gozaburo felt Seto was responsible enough to take up an independent project of his own, without Gozaburo's oversight. The catch was that it had to be something involving Kaiba Corp. itself, something that would benefit the company.

Gozaburo had given Seto a couple ideas; such as advertising, marketing, things that would bring the company business. Seto said nothing and seemed to have an idea already formulated in his head. He had promised Gozaburo that within a certain time period he will have set up a goal for himself, finished that goal, and would prepare a presentation to show to Gozaburo explaining his project and showing his progress.

This was why Gozaburo hadn't seen Seto in a while, but it still didn't explain the fact that Lector almost never seemed to have anything to say when Gozaburo asked what Seto was up to, just to get an idea of whether the boy was doing work or not. This seemed a bit strange to Gozaburo.

Then to find Mokuba wandering the halls with a tear-soaked face and no Seto to comfort him was an even odder spectacle. Gozaburo didn't know what it was, but something wasn't right and Seto had something to do with it. The only way to find that out was through Mokuba.

And so Gozaburo put on a smiling face and began his act.

"Have a seat, why don't you?" Gozaburo offered in a kindly, caring voice. Mokuba slowly walked into the room, looking all around in fear. He had never been in Gozaburo's office before and he had always been told to stay away from it. Being in there almost felt wrong, but he couldn't refuse Gozaburo's offer. Mokuba was exhausted from sobbing for so long. Mokuba slowly sat down on the couch across from Gozaburo's desk.

"Now tell me… what happened that caused you to end up like this?" Gozaburo tried to ask in the most sincere way. Mokuba seemed to want to believe his sincerity, but wasn't sold by it yet. Mokuba looked away and towards the ground.

"N-Nothing. It was nothing I just… yeah, nothing happened… I should probably go-" Mokuba tried to get up, but Gozaburo urged him to stay put.

"No, please, stay a while." Mokuba automatically fell back into his seat. He didn't know if it was because he had wanted to or if it was from fear of Gozaburo, but he did anyway. "Come now Mokuba, you can tell me. Why are you crying? And… where is that brother of yours? Why hasn't he come to comfort you?"

Mokuba's head shot up.

"He… uh…"

"Yes?" Mokuba didn't know what to say. He knew the reason he was crying, it had all been his brother's fault. Seto hadn't come to comfort him because Seto was the reason he was crying in the first place. But explaining his outburst of anger would only lead him to have to explain the entire plan behind why Seto thrashed at him in the first place. It would mean he would have to explain the entire plan. But Mokuba couldn't do that… could he?

"Mokuba… hello? You going to talk to me?" Gozaburo asked, seeming more impatient than kind this time, but he was trying very hard to keep his cool. Mokuba continued to stay away from looking Gozaburo in the face. How could he possibly think about betraying his one and only brother? Why would anything push him to doing such a thing as to go behind his brother's back and ruin his plans? Mokuba tried to think back to his brother…

'_You liar! Take this kid out of my sight!' _Mokuba knew why. Seto had hurt him under false pretenses. Seto hadn't even tried to believe what Mokuba had to say, Seto threw him out like he was nothing. Seto blamed him for Gozaburo finding out their plans, even though it hadn't been Mokuba's fault. So why bother covering up? Gozaburo must've already known, anyway. Mokuba looked up from the ground and into Gozaburo's eyes.

"Seto is the reason I'm crying, Seto beat me up." Gozaburo was a little taken a back by this. Mokuba was hurt… by Seto's hand? Gozaburo had seen the way Seto would take a beating for Mokuba countless times in the past… what would push him to do such a thing towards his younger brother?

"Why would he do that?" Gozaburo asked, astonished. Mokuba thought that the reason had been obvious. Suddenly tears began pouring out of his eyes once more.

"Nii-sama thought that I was the one who told you about his plan… he said I was the snitch! But I hadn't said a word to anyone; it wasn't my fault you found out! But…" Mokuba tried to wipe away his tears, but they continued to fall, "He didn't believe me… and he beat me up because of it." Gozaburo hadn't the slightest clue what Mokuba was talking about, but he was also the best at playing his part.

"A plan, huh?" Mokuba sniffled and looked away in shame.

"I knew it wouldn't work… I told him it was too dangerous. But he didn't care… he didn't even believe me then! I had a feeling you would've figured it out anyway… Nii-sama should've known better than to try and take over your company behind your back." Gozaburo's eyebrows rose. So that's what Seto had been doing all this time. He had a feeling the Big Five were in on this too.

The tears returned to Mokuba's face.

"I had really thought it would've worked… Nii-sama had said he couldn't do this without my help… I guess I was wrong. He never really cared about my happiness; it was all about getting the company from the very beginning." Mokuba went back to wiping away the tears once more, wishing they would stop altogether. Mokuba hated that he was crying over this, just the mere thought of Seto now made him hang his head in shame.

Suddenly, though, he felt an arm put around him. Mokuba looked up and saw that Gozaburo had sat down beside him.

"There, there Mokuba… it's alright. It's going to be okay… I'm glad you told me." Mokuba stared up at him, blinking with surprise. Was Gozaburo being serious right now? Never in his life had Gozaburo made such a gesture towards Mokuba. It was almost frightening, until Mokuba heard Gozaburo's calming words. "You don't need to cry, I'm here; I'll take care of you. Don't worry about Seto. I'll make sure he gets what he deserves."

Mokuba wanted to know what Gozaburo could mean by that, but he was lost in Gozaburo's kindly embrace. Mokuba needed a hug more than anything right now, so he could do nothing else but hug Gozaburo back as the man continued to talk. Gozaburo began stroking his hair tenderly.

"Yeah know Mokuba… I will most likely have to confront Seto about this when we have out meeting in a couple days… knowing him, he'll have to own up to this little plan that you've told me about, and I'll have to do what I can to punish him." Mokuba's eyes opened but he said nothing. "With Seto gone… I'll be needed a new heir to the company. Mokuba… I was thinking that could be you." Mokuba pulled away from Gozaburo's hug and looked up.

"What…?" Gozaburo smiled, brining Mokuba back into his tight embrace.

"It's true Mokuba… think about it. This is the most powerful weapons company in the world… and one day it can all be yours; the fame, the fortune… even this mansion that has been in my family for generations. Everything… will be passed down to you.

"The moment I kick that ungrateful brat out and back to the orphanage, we can begin our training immediately. In no time, you'll become an expert just like Seto. Only I won't need to worry about you like I had to with Seto… you're a loyal son. You would never betray me, unlike how Seto betrayed you."

Mokuba couldn't believe what he was hearing. All this time, Mokuba had felt that Gozaburo hated him. From the first couple days he had lived in the Mansion, Gozaburo had called him worthless, and told him he meant nothing. And now… Gozaburo was offering up future ownership to him? It was almost too good to be true; he didn't even know what to say.

Little did Mokuba know was that Gozaburo had no intention of upholding any of what he had just told Mokuba. He had been aware since the very beginning that Mokuba was not nearly worthy enough to be the heir to his fortune; the boy was far too dumb and not even close to being cruel enough. Mokuba simply lacked many elements that he required of an heir.

Gozaburo got up from the couch, deciding that a little silence to have his words sink in while he walked over to his computer and sat down. He got onto his computer and checked his stocks. Indeed what Mokuba had told him was true; people had been buying up his stocks. But Seto only had 49%, meaning he still had the upper hand.

Gozaburo silently chuckled to himself, thinking that Seto was a fool for treating Mokuba the way he did. If Seto had been smart, he would've known that 2% of Kaiba Corp. was owned by Mokuba, and since he had been comforting the mistreated boy, he was sure Mokuba would be on his side. The 2% was his for the taking as long as he kept playing the act.

Gozaburo wouldn't buy back the stocks lost. No, instead he decided to let Seto keep all of it. Gozaburo found that victory was much more enjoyable if there is an opportunity to humiliate the opponent in the end, it was the way he did business. He would let Seto keep all his stocks, let the boy believe he was actually winning, and then at the meeting proclaim the winner. Gozaburo couldn't wait to see Seto's face when he would discover his plan had been ruined.

Gozaburo looked up from the computer and over at the confused boy sitting on his couch. "Oh Mokuba… there's no need to be so sad, it's obvious that I have what you need. I promise to take care of all of this madness…" Gozaburo walked over to the couch again and offered Mokuba a hand up. Without thinking, Mokuba took it and allowed Gozaburo to lift him to his feet. Gozaburo slowly led him to the door with a hand remaining on Mokuba's shoulder.

"I'm sure you must be torn about all of this, after all no one likes to be in the middle. And even though this has all come as a bit of a surprise to me, it's nothing I can't handle, so you don't need to worry. Seto will get what's coming to him when we have our meeting in the next three days, I'm sure of that." Mokuba looked up.

"What?" Gozaburo opened the door for him and led him out of his office.

"Your assistance isn't necessary. But don't fret about it; everything will go according to plan. As I suspected, Seto has made a grave miscalculation, but with you on my side, he'll be out of here in no time. And then you'll be my next protégé. Now go on, go to bed, I'll see you in the morning." Gozaburo closed the door in front of him. Mokuba turned away and sighed. None of this felt right in his stomach.

As Mokuba walked down the hallway back to his room, he thought about everything that had just happened. Gozaburo's words were assuring, but Mokuba just didn't think he was ready to go against his brother because of it. Although Seto had beaten him up a few hours ago, Seto had still proven his love for Mokuba for the past eleven years. Seto had never let Mokuba down… until now. But did that mean he should still go through with it and go against his only brother?

The new heir to the Kaiba Corporation throne… Mokuba didn't know if he was ready to uphold that title. He wasn't sure about anything anymore. Betraying his brother seemed like a bad plan altogether. But what else was he supposed to do? Who else was he supposed to turn to?

Mokuba tried to see himself as the new heir, being trained by Gozaburo, going through what Seto did… a lot of it didn't seem pleasant. In fact, none of it was what he wanted. Mokuba didn't want to run Kaiba Corp., and he never had. He didn't feel like it was his path to take.

Mokuba began to realize that if he became the new heir, it would break Seto's heart. Seto hated Gozaburo, but he had wanted this company more than anything. That was the reason he had taken up this plan in the first place… he wanted to take it over and kick Gozaburo out of the picture. This plan was the reason behind all of this madness…

The plan; Mokuba started to have another realization. This was all part of the plan, everything, including his act. Mokuba couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before. The fact that Gozaburo hadn't known, the way he was acting… Mokuba put his hand on his forehead. But was that really all it was? Would Seto act this way just for a plan to fall through?

If so… how could Mokuba still defend his brother after that? There were a lot of things Mokuba still had to figure out, and he only had three days to do it before their big meeting.

Mokuba walked slowly back to his room, where he would think things through, and try to balance between right and wrong. The moment of truth was coming, but until then… he needed to try and figure out which side he wanted to be on; or rather… which side was the right. It was going to be a long seventy-two hours…

* * *

**A/N:** _Finally! This chapter is done. I've been forcing myself to try and write this chapter for the past week and I've got to tell you, it was hard(just a side note, if a chapter isn't fully written in a minimum of a couple hours and maximum of 2 days, that means I'm having a really hard time writing it. I'm usually able to pull out a chapter in a couple hours, anymore than that means it's trouble) So… the way this is set-up is somewhat different than how it is in the show. I'm not going to explain how or why right now, that will be reviewed in the next chapter. I'm sure some of you or possibly a lot of you are confused period by what's going on and I'm here to tell you that it's okay, you're supposed to be. I made it vague on purpose. But don't fret too much, like I said, I'm going to thoroughly explain it in the next chapter. Which might be a bit of a bitch to do, but I'm a writer, I can work it. Another thing about this chapter that might've made it somewhat… hard to follow, was the fact that I had two big characters interacting and I tried to dive into both their heads almost at the same time which kind of made it hard to follow. Which I apologize for, hopefully when I edit this, it'll be a bit more clear. If not, I'm really sorry. I actually didn't like this chapter because of that… everything was just confusing. Like I said, this was hard to write and there were a lot of aspects I needed to put into this for it to all work. But anyways… thanks for reading… again!:D_


	20. Twenty

MythCreatorWriter: HOLY CRAP, YOU'RE SO RIGHT. GOZABURO COULD BE RATIGAN! Ahhhh, creepyo Hahaha, which fits your next couple lines, talking about Gozaburo being creepy. He is a bit of a creepy person. At one point(I don't remember if I edited this part out of not) I was having him stroke Mokuba's hair and I thought, "OH NO, too sketch, even Mokuba would wanna run at that point, no matter how depressed he was!" It sort of does… but it sort of doesn't. You can read all about it in my author's note!:D(its long…) I'm glad you think I'm keeping him in child(instead of in character, it's in child, nifty ain't it?) I always worry I make him much older than he is, but its cool kids like you that assure me otherwise! Well, I think that's all for now, but thanks for another great review!

Ash Kaiba: Thanks for the review! I'm glad I inspire other writers such as myself! But don't see it as work and don't force yourself… sometimes the best ideas will flow when your inspiration pulls you towards your stories(I guess I would be a bad example of that, hahaha, I forced a lot of myself to do the last chapter) But that was a hump of a chapter, and sometimes humps are hard to work with too. Hahaha, thanks again!

WhiteAsukalover: That indeed, you might even say it's… BANANAS! B-A-N-A-N-A-S! Hahahaha, thanks for the review! (I'm a bit of a goof, pardon my silly response) We're all friends here, are we not?

Lace Kyoko: OH, I JUST got what you were saying in your first sentence!(looks like some stuff got a little hard to type out) But that's good to hear! Thank you for the review! Nah, you don't have to be confused if you don't want to, hahaha, just kidding. I was just thinking you might be, but it seems everyone's keeping up with it pretty well so maybe I'm just jinxing it… (I'm kinda slow myself so I sometimes think others will be slow to follow my stories) Maybe I'm a better writer than I thought? Hahaha, it's a possibility. But anyhow, thanks again!

Twenty

It was raining that night, as it had been for the past week, as it would be for the next couple days. It had been raining so much to the point where there would be flash flood warnings and people weren't to leave their homes for long periods of time. This didn't bother him. This didn't bother him at all. It seemed… nothing did these days.

"Sir?" Lector asked, closing the door slowly behind him. Lector had entered with caution into the room of his higher-up. He had been knocking on the door for several minutes before hand and received no sign of anyone being inside. When Lector opened the door, there he was… standing there, all by himself, locked away in his office with the lights turned off. "Seto?" Seto's head lifted a bit, awakening from within the deep corridors of his mind, sensing another presence.

"…What?" Seto turned around and saw that it was Lector. He was surprised, but his tired, drawn face didn't show it. "Oh Lector… it's you…" Seto turned back toward the large window in front of him which was at the opposite end from the door.

"Pardon me for allowing myself to come in… I knocked but no one answered." Seto stood perfectly still, gazing at the droplets that rapidly slid down the glass. It was raining hard at the point, but there wasn't any lightning at the time. Not yet, at least. There was only the darkness of the rain.

"It's fine. What do you want?" Seto said in a quiet, weak voice. Lector took a couple steps closer to where Seto was standing to get a better look at the boy. He had been acting rather peculiar lately, ever since the conflict with Mokuba had happened, Seto didn't seem the same.

"I came to tell you that supper is ready," Lector said, walking up beside Seto. Seto didn't react; he didn't even turn Lector's way when he spoke.

"I'm not hungry…" Seto said, gravely. Lector turned his head and got a better look at the sixteen year old. He was frail, with dark purple rings under his eyes. His body seemed thinner, even more so than it was last time he saw him. Lector hadn't seen much of the boy the last couple days. Lector couldn't hold back much longer, he had to be straight forward with Seto.

"Sir… if I may make a suggestion, you should come to supper tonight. You haven't eaten or drunk anything for the past two days… you can't possible feel any hunger and thirst at all. Why not just come down to give your body sustenance?" Seto said nothing, continuing to stare blankly out the window in silence. Lector turned towards him.

"Seto?" Still, nothing was said in reply. Before Lector asked again, he saw Seto's eyes close and his legs gave way. Lector reacted quickly, catching the teen in his arms before he fell to the ground. It had been an easy task, given how light Seto was. "Seto, are you alright?"

Seto's eyes almost instantly re-opened.

"Wha-? What happened?" Lector was worried now.

"You… fell. Or you almost did… did you just faint?" Seto waved Lector away and put himself back onto his feet. Seto gave a tired smile.

"Nah… I just blacked out… it's been happening for a while now, nothing to worry about." Lector shook his head.

"Please Sir; you should come down to dinner. It's obvious you need it…" Seto shook his head, walking unevenly forward over to the window. He put his arm up on it and rested his head against the glass, his eyes continually following the rain drops once more.

"It's fine… all I need is some sleep…" Now Lector was really worried.

"Seto, have you not been getting sleep?" Seto yawned right after Lector had said, proving Lector's point further and explaining the deepened bags under Seto's eyes.

"I guess… just haven't been tired for the past two days now… Every time I do, I have these nightmares that seem to haunt me in the night. But don't worry… I try to get in hour long naps during the day here and there, I'm fine." Now Lector was especially confused. What could've caused such a drastic change in Seto's behavior? Maybe it was the fact that the meeting with Gozaburo was tomorrow… maybe the anticipation had been occupying his mind.

"Seto, might this be a result from nervousness for tomorrow's meeting?" Seto turned his head to stare at Lector. His face was blank, up until he began to laugh. It was a very quiet and almost inaudible laugh, but it was all Seto could muster given his condition. Seto turned back towards the window again.

"I never get nervous… being nervous is for the weak. Instead of thinking about the scary thing that is about to happen, I try to plan out what I have to do next. I was trained by Gozaburo himself to take my nervous energy and put it to use, which is what I have done for the past several weeks. So no… I am not nervous." This was yet another surprise to Lector. Seto, putting aside the fact that he seemed to be physically decaying, sounded more confident than ever.

"But Sir, not to pass judgment, but I'm not sure how you're not nervous about tomorrow. We haven't obtained 51% of the company yet and had even commanded us to stop when our stocks only reached 49. That means that Gozaburo has still won, he has the most cards… what makes you believe we're going to win?" Even amongst this uncertainty, Lector supposed that it was a good thing that Gozaburo hadn't bought back any of the stocks that the Big Five had obtained over time. Which was another odd fact, for if what Seto had said was true, than he should've known and would've bought it all back with ease. But he didn't…

"Does this have something to do with the fact that Gozaburo hasn't bought back the stocks even though he should be fully aware of what we are trying to do?" Seto laughed.

"What a funny thought… Here I was thinking that you knew Gozaburo well… Ha. You people should've been able to realize by now that Gozaburo's greatest weakness is his overconfidence…" Seto chuckled to himself again, "What a funny thought. In the beginning, the Big Five didn't want to side with me because they feared I would become cocky and overlook the situation at hand, even though that's exactly what Gozaburo is doing right now. He actually thinks he's going to win, when he doesn't realize I've already won."

"And how is it that you have won?" Seto's confident smile disappeared instantly and turned into a more serious expression.

"Lector… I hope you're not forgetting that there is a third party in this picture, the certain someone who owns only a small share of the company, who will most likely determine the outcome of this battle." Lector didn't know who Seto was referring too, and he was still unsure as to why Seto was being so calm about the situation anyway. It sounded like his whole plan was depending on chance at this point; that his plan would only fall through depending on this one other person. And being the experienced business man that Lector was; he knew that wasn't always the smart thing to do and that wouldn't always mean they would get what they want.

Rather than asking more questions out loud, Lector tried to figure out Seto's plan for himself. Who was the other person Seto was depending on to come out on top? Who had Lector forgotten? Then he remembered… Mokuba owned 2% of the company. Technically speaking, if Mokuba were to give Seto that 2%, it would make Seto the victor.

But at the same time… Seto had just accused Mokuba of ruining their plans, and had beaten the child senseless for it. The last time Lector had even seen Mokuba, the child was spotted being chummy with Gozaburo… which could only mean that Mokuba had switched sides in this battle and that the 2% would go to Gozaburo, unless…

Lector's eyes widened. Suddenly everything had become clear in his mind. It had all been faked from the very beginning. Or at least, Seto's part had been. Mokuba had never rat them out in the first place. Seto had put on a show for everyone, knowing his brother would run to Gozaburo looking for help and that Gozaburo would try to take advantage of the boy while he was weak and vulnerable. Mokuba would explain everything to Gozaburo in order for forgiveness and Gozaburo wouldn't worry about his stocks being bought because he would've thought Mokuba was on his side anyway. Gozaburo would think he already possessed all the cards…

Gozaburo believed he was winning. That was why he hadn't attempted to buy back the stocks. Gozaburo had assumed Mokuba would be on his side… Lector turned to Seto again; this time Seto's head was titled down, his bangs darkening the top half of his face.

"You knew… didn't you?" Lector asked, Seto didn't reply. Lector went on, "You knew your brother would never betray you… That was why you beat him up, causing him to run to Gozaburo for comfort. You knew he would explain the plan to Gozaburo and that Gozaburo would become confident with Mokuba on his side… but your brother won't be on his side. You knew that from the very beginning… your brother would never leave your side, no matter how badly you treated him. And that's what you're depending on… that's why you're so sure we're going to win this."

Seto's face was still darkened, nothing could be seen. Lector waited a while to try and see if Seto had anything to say in his defense, but there was nothing. That was when Lector began to understand more and more of Seto's current behavior. Lector spoke up, "And this is has something to do with being malnourished and sleep-deprived… doesn't it? You… hate, that you've used your brother in this way and you're torturing yourself… to punish yourself for what you've done… Aren't you?" Seto buried his face in the arm he was leaning on, biting his lip. Lector frowned and looked away, suddenly things made a lot more sense now that his theory had been confirmed.

"I had a feeling it had all been an act… I saw it all in the look of your eyes. You hated hurting Mokuba… you hated every second of it. But it was what you had to do… in order to win over Gozaburo… wasn't it?" Lector looked to Seto, both waiting and wanting a reaction, a response to something he was saying. He was looking for a confirmation. In a way, Lector didn't need one… just by standing there, a few feet away from Seto, observing his posture and examining his hidden face, it was all clear and it confirmed the whole story.

"Get out…" Seto said quietly. Lector blinked; he hadn't quite heard what Seto said. Seto slammed his fist onto the window he was leaning against; a spider-like web was created from the blow. "I SAID GET OUT!" Seto yelled at the top of his lungs. Lector was quick to get a move on and ran out of the room, leaving Seto once again to linger in the darkness… listening to nothing but the soft pitter patter of the rain and trying to block out the sound of the raging demon inside his heart. He was filled with hate towards himself and he could blame no one but… himself.

Tomorrow, hopefully, he would be able to put all of that aside and atone for what he had done.

* * *

"Are you ready to go?" What made a person ready for anything? Was it a nice suit, a good shave? Maybe physically, but all in all… did that really make someone ready? Did rehearsing the line over and over again mean that the actor would remember it on stage in front of thousands of people? Did checking and re-checking the balances mean that the calculations were correct? No… not really. What it all came down to was faith.

"Of course, move out of my way," Seto said, pushing through the fearful Big Five as they huddled around the door that led into the Kaiba Corp. meeting room. Gozaburo was sitting by himself at the other end of the table, accompanied only by two security guards who stood silently in the back of the room, against the wall. Seto sat down right away, allowing time for each member of the Big Five slowly line up behind Seto's chair and wait for the battle to begin.

"Greetings Seto, my son, it's good to finally see you. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Let's quite the chit chat, Gozaburo, you know what this is about…" Seto declared. Gozaburo leaned forward, crossing his hands on the table.

"In a hurry, are we?" Gozaburo asked in a devilish tone. Seto wouldn't let this distract him. He knew exactly what he needed to say, he knew exactly how this scene would play out. He had pictured it in his mind over and over again.

"I have something to tell you. The Big Five and I have decided to take control of Kaiba Corp." Gozaburo smirked, he had already been aware of this and had a come back prepared especially for this moment.

"Wrong, but nice try. I knew about your plan to take over Kaiba Corp. but it seems you all fell short by obtaining only 49%, leaving me with 51. You lose Seto because this company is still mine. You lose, Seto." Seto's eyes narrowed, Gozaburo stood up from his chair and slammed his hand onto the table. Now came the time of reckoning. "Now that that's out of the way, you five are all fired as punishment for betraying me! And I'll make sure you'll never work in this city again. So you better clean out your desks and get out of my sight, RIGHT NOW." Gozaburo's eyes went back down to Seto.

"And as for you Seto… I'm dumping you back in that orphanage where worthless, scum bags like you belong!" Seto got up from his chair in surprise; playing his part, as always… Seto heard the door open and he knew that the final, deciding moment had come, the climatic point in the play. Seto twisted around when he heard the tiny voice rise up from the corner of the room.

"Wait." Seto turned towards Mokuba, even though he had predicted this exact event to happen, he was still surprised. "I'm giving my 2% of Kaiba Corp. to my Nii-sama." After what he had done… his brother's loyalty would forever astonish Seto. Gozaburo was even more shocked than Seto was.

"Mokuba, what are you talking about?! You're making a mistake! Don't forget the way he treated you!" It was like Mokuba hadn't even heard Gozaburo's yelling. His eyes were locked only on Seto's eyes, it was clear that Mokuba's decision was whole hearted and wouldn't be regretted, not now and not ever. Seto's trance was broken when Mokuba turned back towards Gozaburo with those determined eyes of his, declaring his loyalty in words.

"I will always be on my brother's side and I would never turn my back on him!" Gozaburo leaned forward on the table, almost in desperation but mostly in rage.

"Don't do this, you fool!"

"I've made up my mind," Mokuba said proudly and with a straight face. Seto turned back towards Gozaburo, his face as serious as Mokuba's.

"You heard my brother… Now I'm the new president. My first order of business will be getting you and your things out of here by the end of the day. Now get him out of my sight," Seto commanded with much authority. The two security guards that had been standing behind Gozaburo for the entire meeting came up and took a hold of Gozaburo's arms as they dragged him out of the room. The tables had been turned and Seto had come out on top.

Seto had won, just as he had always predicted. The way it had been written to be. It wouldn't make the way he had treated Mokuba any better, but at least Gozaburo was gone and the brothers would be able to live in peace at last.

* * *

**A/N:** _So this scene isn't quite finished. When we start up the next chapter, we'll probably begin right after this moment. I just thought I'd let you guys know that. I kind of wish I could've just finished it in this chapter, but this chapter actually already 300 words over so I just thought I would have to save it for the next chapter:/ Which sucks… and was hard to do! Because it was hard to find a point where I should just end it. But yeah, sorry guys, but anyways. So you guys are probably wondering how this is different? Well, this version is basically the same, except that… in the anime, they say that Seto was actually the one that told Gozaburo his plan, not Mokuba. I just changed it because… I dunno, my version makes more sense, don't you think? I dunno, I do. Plus, it's just a bit more epic in it's own way;D But hey! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and since we'll be finishing this scene up soon… you know what that means, don't you? DEATH! I mean, SUICIDE! I mean… uploading your mind onto a super computer? Well, you're all going to see soon and be amazed by what I have in store for you next! So bring your money, bring the kids, and enjoy the DEATH, I mean, the SCENE OF A LIFETIME! Thanks for reading!_


	21. Twenty One

MythCreatorWriter: Yeah, the anime is a little weird. In the anime, Lector says that Seto deliberately leaked the information to Gozaburo, making Gozaburo think that it was Mokuba, so that Gozaburo would let Seto buy up forty-nine percent of the company, confident that he would have Mokuba's two percent on his side… yeah. I don't know if that goes along with how I did it, but it's too confusing to even figure it out. So I did my own thing and worked out just as good, fortunately:) I think the scene I added, the one where he was all hurt and starving, was a good one to have. It helps to justify the behavior and probably helps fans to not hate him as much. I liked writing that one a lot. Sorry I don't have much to say… I mean, this is it. This is the chapter. Kinda freaky, huh? Well thanks for the review!

Ash Kaiba: Thank you! I do love bridging gaps. I think that's the whole reason I even wrote this story, isn't it? Hahaha, I should know why I'm writing this story, but yeah, it's basically to fill in the holes with something a little bit of my own. Glad you enjoyed it!

WhiteAsukalover: Thank you so much for the review! I'm really happy you liked the chapter! Well, prepare to be wordless again!

Twenty-One

The decision had been made. The battle was over. Gozaburo had been defeated. The old man didn't take failure well, however, and was trying to break free from the guards' grip as they tried to pull him out of the room.

"SETO! YOU BASTARD! I TAUGHT YOU EVERYTHING YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" Gozaburo yelled, throwing himself forward as the guards were moving past Seto and Mokuba. One of Gozaburo's arms broke free and reached out for Mokuba. Seto quickly reacted and pulled Mokuba away, hiding his brother behind his back until the guards regained control. When they constricted both of Gozaburo's arms behind his back, they were able to push him out of the room with ease.

"Oh, and Gozaburo…" Seto said, just before the guards had gotten him out the door, "Make sure you grab the classified section on your way out, because it looks like you're out of a job." Gozaburo's face was fuming and he began yelling again, even as the guards got him down the hall.

Seto and Mokuba stood completely still until they could no longer hear Gozaburo's angry shouts. Then both brothers turned back towards one another. Mokuba smiled again.

"You did it, Nii-sama. You beat Gozaburo." Seto shook his head, placing his hand on Mokuba's shoulder.

"No, we did it." Mokuba nodded. Seto placed his other hand on Mokuba's other shoulder. "Thank you…" Seto said quietly, knowing his plan would've failed without Mokuba's part. In the most honest sense, they had beaten Gozaburo, together, the both of them. It couldn't have been possible any other way. But it worked… and suddenly, for the first time, their future seemed a bit more promising.

"WE DID IT!" The Big Five cheered in unison from the back ground, after breaking out of their state of shock. "I can't believe it… we actually did it!" All of them began shaking each other's hands and patting each other on the back. There were still remains of some sweat on their faces to be seen; neither of them had really believed that they would do it. Each of them congratulated Seto on his success before pooling out of the room. The dawning of a new era was coming, and everyone could feel it. For now, they were going to celebrate with a night out at the pub.

Seto and Mokuba remained in the room, still. Mokuba had his head sticking out of the doorway and looking down the hall in the direction the Big Five left in.

"Can you believe those guys?" Mokuba asked, looking back at his brother. "They act as if this was all made possible because of them. If they actually thought about it, they would realize this only worked the way it did because of you. All of them have been working here for years now but never one took a stance until you came along and led the way." As Mokuba spoke, he and Seto walked out of the room and down the hall.

"…Everyone played a part in this; I needed everyone to do what they had to. That was the only reason Gozaburo's plan was ruined." Seto's voice was low and hushed.

"Yeah, but still…" Mokuba stopped when he realized his brother was no longer walking by his side. Mokuba turned around and saw that Seto was standing completely still in the middle of the hallway. Mokuba walked back to where his brother stood. "Hey, Nii-sama… you okay? What's wrong?" Seto's head was still titled down, his bangs darkening his face.

Mokuba stood there staring at him until he remembered what had been bothering him earlier that day before the meeting. Mokuba took up his fist and punched Seto in the arm. Seto shifted a bit but other than that, didn't appear to be affected by Mokuba's punch. Mokuba got even more ticked off by this.

"Oh yeah, and never do that again! Next time you have a plan, you gotta tell me about it! I mean, I really thought you were mad at me when you beat me up! You have no idea how depressed I got after that… well, I'm sure you do since it would take a lot for any person to get depressed enough to run to Gozaburo, but still! It took me a while to figure out your plan, before that I actually believed you hated me. So in the future, can you let me know before I'm forced to run off and make a fool of myself?" Mokuba said out of annoyance, not hatred. There was no hatred to be found in Mokuba's voice, none at all. Mokuba was peeved, but he still loved Seto.

Mokuba still loved him after all he had done.

"Are you listening to me?" Mokuba asked, tapping his foot. Without saying anything, Seto fell forward and brought Mokuba into his arms, hugging him tightly. This was something Mokuba hadn't been expecting. "Nii-sama?" Now Mokuba was just plain confused. Seto buried his face into Mokuba's hair.

"I'm… so… sorry…" Seto said softly, holding Mokuba close to him. Mokuba got over his confusion and wrapped his arms around Seto, hugging his brother back in acceptance. "I can't forgive myself for what I did… I promise to make it up to you though… I told you I was going to give you the life you deserved and I will… with Gozaburo gone, I can finally take care of you… I'll be the parent you need. I'll always be there for you, I will…"

Mokuba didn't know what to say. While he had understood Seto's actions, it had become clear how Seto had felt about them. Seto didn't take what he did lightly; all of this affected him deeply, painfully. His brother had cared. Mokuba felt bad thinking he hadn't. Even as he held his brother now, Mokuba was able to understand the burden Seto felt through his weak and depleted body. Seto was barely able to stand on his own two feet.

"It's okay Nii-sama…" Mokuba said as he pulled away from his brother, "I understand. You had to do what you did. I will always stand by you and follow whatever path you take… I'll always be there for you, as you will, for me." Seto nodded slowly.

With his brother by his side, anything was possible, nothing was out of reach. And although it didn't seem fair, and sometimes it didn't seem right, Mokuba didn't care. Seto knew that Mokuba meant what he said. Through better or worse, they would fight every battle… together.

There was only one more thing Seto had to do on his own.

* * *

It was raining, still, harder now then it ever was for the week. Seto had learned at a young age that rain was nothing to really be afraid of; storms only became dangerous when the crackle of thunder could be heard. But there was no thunder and Seto was far from feeling afraid. Seto opened the door to Gozaburo's door without even knocking; he saw what he expected to see standing by his desk.

"What are you doing here?" Gozaburo asked in a low voice which was hard to hear over the rain. His back was turned towards Seto; he was hunched over his desk, looking down. Seto smirked.

"I think you know why I'm here. The real question is what are you still doing here… and why hasn't your stuff been packed up and moved out?" Gozaburo used his arms to throw off everything that was on his desk onto the floor before twisted around. There was a wide smile that slithered up the side of his face. His eyes were opened wide as he stared at Seto. Gozaburo's arms were crossed behind his back.

"There. Is that clean enough for you, Son?" Gozaburo asked, again in a low voice that would've made any other person tremble. Seto narrowed his eyes, wiping the smirk off his face. He wasn't a fan of joking around.

"You know what I meant when I said to pack your things and leave. After all, you should know, considering how many people you have fired over the course of your presidency at Kaiba Corp." Gozaburo chuckled quietly; then it got louder and louder until it became an echoing laughter that filled the room. Seto became even more annoyed. Gozaburo looked at Seto's face and immediately stopped.

"Oh. I get it…" Gozaburo said, unfolding the arms behind his back and bringing them forward. He placed both his hands on the desk behind him, Seto caught eye of a black pistol clutched in one of Gozaburo's hands. "Now I know why you came here… you came here to declare your victory… you just want to gloat." Gozaburo got up from leaning on the desk, swinging his arms back and forth, aimlessly wandering around the room. Seto took a step back, his eye remaining on the gun only.

"Gozaburo, don't be a sore loser. Do you really plan on shooting me just because you can't deal with the fact that I'm better than you?" Seto said in a very controlled manner, the pistol always remaining in the corner of his eye as he watched Gozaburo's movement around the room. Gozaburo stopped his wandering when he reached the giant window on the other end of the room. He turned back around towards Seto. Seto had walked forward enough that now there were only a couple feet between the two.

"You think you're better than me? Ha. Is that what you really think?" Seto took a step closer to him, as if he were trying to show that he didn't fear Gozaburo or his weapon.

"I don't think it. I know it." Gozaburo smiled menacingly.

"You're not better than me, Seto… oh no, not at all. In fact… you're just like me." Seto was beginning to lose control now. He growled.

"I am NOTHING like you."

"Oh, but you're everything like me. The way you planned the take over, the way you handled it… even to the point where you beat your brother to get him to do what you needed done." Seto shook his head.

"No… no, I'm not like you at all. Shut up! Accept your defeat." Gozaburo held up his gun and pointed it in Seto's direction. Seto's body froze without command.

"I haven't lost Seto… no, I've done all I needed to do. Don't you see? I wanted an heir to my company and I got one... One that turned out better, crueler, and more deceptive than I could've ever imagined." Seto continued to shake his head furiously. It wasn't true, it couldn't be. Seto was better than Gozaburo, a better person overall, this wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

"So you're going to shoot me? Is that it? You coward…" Seto said, gritting his teeth. Seto didn't know whether he was angry or afraid with Gozaburo putting him at gun point.

Gozaburo smiled again, bringing his gun back towards him and pointing it upward towards his own head. Gozaburo clicked it. Seto's eyes widened.

"You haven't won this game yet, Seto. You haven't won at all. You may have gained control of my company but you have lost what made you human in the process." Seto took another step closer, raising his arm towards him in caution.

"Stop it Gozaburo. This isn't a game, this is your life. Put the gun down."

"Look at the mighty Seto Kaiba, preaching to me that this isn't a game after having his fun with my company. Kaiba Corporation WAS my life, Seto, and you played with it like it was just another stupid game. And I cannot blame you… for that dates back to one of the very first things I ever taught you… doesn't it?"

"Gozaburo, stop this!"

"-After all, life is a game, and one must do what they can to remain on top. When I die, the news will sweep the nation and people will assume you took over by default." Seto's clenched his hands into fists. Gozaburo was crazy.

"But that's not how it happened! You and I both know that. Don't tell me you're actually going to cheat your way out of this by killing yourself."

"That's a funny thing to hear coming from you."

"What's that supposed to mean? I have always found cheating to be dishonorable."

"Really now? Because I seem to recall you cheating during the very first game we played together on the day I adopted you." Seto's fists dropped to his sides. He remembered that day very clearly… and he remembered the way he cheated. Seto needed to win so badly, he knew he would have no other options otherwise. He had been so clever and so subtle… but somehow Gozaburo had known it from the very beginning.

"Why didn't you say anything? Why hadn't you stopped me if you knew?" Seto asked.

"You weren't just any cheater… you were the best. It proved to me that you were just what I was looking for… a boy whom had the capability to be trained… one who could become just like me. I didn't say anything because you were just what I wanted. And look at you now… I was right all along." Seto was speechless. He couldn't breathe. Gozaburo's words… Seto didn't want it to end like this. It wasn't supposed to be like this! This wasn't how he wanted to win.

Gozaburo changed the position of the gun, this time bringing it up to his face. Seto was motionless, standing in front of Gozaburo, not knowing what else he could do. Gozaburo was right. It was true. Seto had become something he never wanted to be… the company hardly seemed worth it now. And Gozaburo could tell… because he knew. Seto's eyes widened. He had always known… he had known everything!

"I guess this is goodbye my son… oh yes, and congratulations on your success. I'm sure you'll make one fine president of Kaiba Corporation." Gozaburo placed the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. Flesh and bone exploded behind his head, creating a sound that echoed through-out the entire Kaiba Mansion. Blood splattered everywhere. Giant droplets landed on Seto's pale face and his clothes. The glass behind Gozaburo had shattered after the bullet had exited the skull, making an opening for the corpse to fall backwards and land on the sidewalk below.

There was a scream and one scream alone that could be heard from within the room at the time of the death. Then there was silence; silence and… running.

Mokuba was happily sitting in the back of the limo, clutching the sparkling cider in his hand, imagining the incredible night he and his brother would spend together celebrating. Mokuba had gone out about an hour ago to pick up the cider and some other treats to go with it. He felt it was appropriate considering all they went through, a victory like that had deserved some sort of party afterward.

"We're almost home, Master Mokuba," The chauffeur said over the news that was currently being broadcast. Mokuba had allowed him to listen to the news on the way back since the chauffeur had asked and Mokuba saw no harm in learning about current events.

"Okay, thanks," Mokuba said, leaning back and staring out the window.

_"…And in other news, the infamous CEO of Kaiba Corporation has been reported dead."_ Mokuba's head turned forward, his eyes staring at the radio up in the front.

"What?" Mokuba's heart started beating faster and faster. "Turn that up."

_"Gozaburo Kaiba, age 72, has just been found dead in front of his home, a broken window seen from his office. Investigators say they still need to look into the matter more closely before releasing anymore information to the public including how he was killed, but the only other information they have released is that Seto Kaiba, Gozaburo's eldest, adoptive son has gone missing and is currently considered the prime suspect for the death of Gozaburo Kaiba until further investigation."_

"No…" Mokuba whispered to himself. Mokuba looked back out the window just as the limo pulled into their neighborhood. There were cop cars that were surrounding the Kaiba Mansion, and one or two ambulances that were present. Flashing blue and red lights could be seen, complimentary with sirens. "Please no…"

The limo pulled up to a curb on the other side of the street. Mokuba got out and looked at all the police officers and paramedics that were crowded the front entrance of the Kaiba Mansion. Mokuba was filled with horror and disbelief.

"NII-SAMA!"

* * *

**A/N:** _There. It's been done. The death of Gozaburo Kaiba JUST happened. Oh yeah, whatcha gonna do about it now? I'm really pleased with this chapter. Although I wrote it under some annoying conditions(my brothers being loud, one of them continuously whistling for the past hour), and although editing it was a difficult task under pretty much the same conditions, I feel like it still came out well all the same. But this isn't done yet. Oh no, believe me, there's more to this story than Gozaburo dying, a whole lot more goodies coming up soon. I hope you've enjoyed the death you've been anticipating! Oh yes, and with the whole 'Seto cheating during the chess game' that actually did happen… in the manga. It actually is in the manga, thought it would come in handy for this scene:] Thanks for reading!_

_P.S: Totally random, but I love the chapter number this event fell under. I don't usually have the ability to plan what chapter which event will fall under, but I'm glad this fell under the number 21. It makes me think of the movie, 21, which was a pretty epic movie, and kinda relates back to the game itself which the movie was based upon._

_The stacks are high, it's a game of chance, some people play it safe, but I prefer playing dangerously. It's great if you win, but… if you bust, you can lose everything, including the confidence you gained taking risks._


	22. Twenty Two

WhiteAsukalover: You should be, this shit is about to get crazy! Hahaha, thanks for your review!

Lace Kyoko: I was glad to get your reviews! Yeah, I'm not sure how anyone would cheat at chess either. I always think of the pixar short that was at the beginning of a Bug's Life, that's how I envision someone would cheat. Thanks for your reviews, enjoy the chapter!

MythCreatorWriter: It's great that everything was flowing well for you and everything seemed to fit. I don't know how I keep doing that, but I've always sort of had an idea of it in my head and kind of think it makes a bit more sense than the anime left us with. Also, its fun to do, and makes it feel like the story is more original. And holy crap, the YGO creator?? Are you saying Takahashi said that? If so, that's SO TIGHT! There is more, there's not a lot more, but I'm planning on ending the story pretty well. Oh yeah, the last sentence in my story did sound like something they would say, I thought that too after I wrote it. Honestly that's how I think; I tend to monologue a lot in my head on a day-to-day basis. Concerning the second to last paragraph, I feel like it fit pretty well. I mean, I wrote it basically to set the mood and also help with the placement for this chapter. The last sentence could've been removed but, I dunno, I kinda like it. They probably could've been written differently but at the same time, some scenes come to me and they are as they are. Like with this chapter, I tried to add onto the ending and it didn't fit because sometimes scenes are supposed to end there(for me at least, I've had these scenes stuck up in my head for a while so it seems more permanent to me, I guess) Oh yes, physical description… my worst nightmare. I love dialogue way too much;.; Anyways, thanks for the review!

Ash Kaiba: Yes! I have read the original manga. I forgot to mention that not only was the chess match from the manga, but his death was tied into it a little as well. I like to draw from both the Japanese anime, American anime, as well as the manga to mix in the best combination for my work and the broken window was supposed to go along with Gozaburo dying by jumping out a window!(I forgot to mention that part in my note. Silly me) It's great that you noticed though! Thanks for the review!

Eringo94: That's great to hear, thank you so much for your review! It warmed my heart:] It is what I created this story for and I'm happy to hear that its working out so well for you!(or well, that you like what I did with them) You like my P.S's?XD Hahaha, that's awesome to hear!(I do them a lot…) Thanks again for your review!

Twenty-Two

Running and running and running. That's all he did. That's all he could do. That's all he needed to do to get away from this, to get his mind off of things. Seto Kaiba didn't know where he was going, he didn't know what he was going to do, all he was sure about was that he wanted to get as far from the Kaiba Mansion as possible.

The rain was pouring down on him, in a matter of minutes; his clothes were soaked from head to toe. It didn't take long for him to lose feeling in his lower legs, but Seto didn't mind. It made running easier, numbing his body enough to make it less painful too.

Seto was panting heavily as he ran. It wasn't that he was tired but more… that he was trying to mask the constant urge to scream. Other than running, Seto wanted to scream. When it had first happened, he had screamed. But now that he was out in the public, even if no one was around, he didn't want to draw attention to himself or make a scene. He just wanted to get away.

"He's dead… he's dead… he's dead…" Seto started chanting to himself, the death kept replaying over and over again in his mind. The blood had washed off his skin because of the rain, but every time Seto looked down at his hands, he could still see the splatters that had gotten on him. Seto could still see Gozaburo's blood everywhere, even miles away from the Kaiba Mansion. Seto started panting louder and tried to keep his eyes from looking anywhere on his body. He only looked straight ahead as he ran down the middle of the road. There were no cars on the road because the hour was late.

The night sky was pitched black and the moon was hidden behind a thick layer of clouds. The only source of light Seto had were the streetlights along the sidewalks.

Seto thought he would've been happy about this; Gozaburo was gone and finally out of his life! Seto was able rule Kaiba Corp. now! His misery was over! At least… that was what Seto would've thought before… but now he was beginning to ponder whether his misery had just begun.

_'You haven't won at all. You may have gained control of my company but you have lost what made you human in the process.'_ Seto heard Gozaburo's words clearly in his mind… and he hated it. He wanted it to stop.

"No… no… shut up… shut up!" Seto yelled, hitting himself on the head with his fist, hoping to block out Gozaburo's voice. Seto didn't want it to be true; he didn't want to believe a thing Gozaburo said! He had wanted to win so badly… Seto had put everything on the line to do this and now Gozaburo was brainwashing him into believing it changed him. Seto wanted it to be worth it, and now Gozaburo… he was making him re-think everything he had achieved.

_'You were just what I was looking for… one who could become just like me. I didn't say anything because you were just what I wanted. And look at you now… I was right all along.' _Seto wanted it to stop. Why wouldn't it stop? Why was he hearing Gozaburo? The man was dead; Seto saw Gozaburo die with his own eyes, so why could he still see his darkened face just before it had exploded from the bullet?

"STOP!" Seto yelled at the top of his lungs, grabbing his skull and shaking it about. He needed Gozaburo out of his head. He threw off his balance and ended up tripping onto the hard pavement of the sidewalk. For a moment, his mind had calmed down as he tried to overcome his dizziness.

Seto rubbed his head gently, time started to slow down for him and he was free from hearing Gozaburo's voice. He looked over at a nearby puddle. Seto slowly inched himself over to it and looked in. There was a streetlight overhead, helping him to see into the dark waters of a tiny puddle. Seto gazed deeply into it, searching for a reflection. But no matter how hard he looked… he couldn't see one. He couldn't see his deep, ocean blue eyes, his wet, brown hair, or his pale face.

Seto saw… nothing.

It was at that moment and that moment alone that made Seto realize… he didn't know who he was anymore. For the past six years he had been trying so hard to learn everything Gozaburo had been trying to teach him… Seto wanted so badly to become CEO of Kaiba Corp. and he knew from the very day he saw Gozaburo on the television back at the orphanage that he would have to do everything Gozaburo did to get what he wanted. He had thought Kaiba Corp. was what he wanted; he had thought it was the right path for him. Seto was wrong.

Seto hadn't been aware back then what it would cost him. He hadn't known a damn thing.

Seto slammed his fist into the puddle, sending a surge of pain into his knuckles and up his arm from impaling concrete. Seto didn't mind… he didn't care anymore.

It was like, from the very beginning, it was supposed to end like this. From the very beginning he had set himself up for disaster. But now he had his company… now Gozaburo was dead… but what was he supposed to do? He couldn't lead Kaiba Corp… not after realizing what he had lost. Seto felt his face strain as he held his head back and looked up into the clouds.

It was… pointless. It was all, completely pointless.

Seto didn't know what to think of himself or his situation… he hadn't been so confused and scared since… his mother had died. That was the only day Seto had truly felt he was in a dark hole that he didn't know how to get out of. That was the first day he had ever been afraid of what the future may hold, when he didn't have a clue what would happen to him.

He started to feel a warm liquid rush down his face between the droplets of rain. It was both a soothing and painful process as the liquid trickling down the sides of his frozen face. Seto slowly got to his feet and let his legs begin to run, again, to the only place he knew he would want to go. Tears started rushing down his face for the first time in eleven years.

The last time he had cried was the day his mother died.

* * *

When Mokuba had first arrived on the scene, he wasn't sure what to think. He saw all that he had expected to see; cop cars everywhere, a crowd forming around the property, investigators searching his home. For what he heard on the radio, this was what the set up would look like. But concerning the crime itself, Mokuba was clueless. But he couldn't concern himself too much with what actually happened. He needed to focus; he realized didn't have time to think. Mokuba needed to act, he had to find Seto.

"Please, move aside. I need to get through!" Mokuba said, rushing through the crowd of people surrounding his house. When Mokuba had managed to move to the front of the crowd, he found that caution tape had been set up around the first couple feet surrounding the entire Kaiba Mansion. The people allowed to stand within the limits of the caution tape, were maids, cooks, and other people who regularly worked in the mansion, some were being questioned.

Mokuba tried to be as subtle as possible as he slipped under the caution tape and started looking around for a person he knew or at least someone he could trust. Mokuba hadn't become close to any of the people who regularly worked in the mansion, but he was desperate, and needed help. He realized he couldn't do it alone.

Mokuba's eyes looked all around and spotted an ambulance that was parked on the far side of the front lawn. The back of it was open, revealing a stretcher with a body that had already been covered with a white cloth and strapped down to a stretcher.

Mokuba felt a familiar shiver being sent down his spine when he did, but he tried to shake it off. There was no time to think about Gozaburo, Mokuba knew what he had to do. Mokuba very quietly made his way around the lawn, doing his best to not stick out, while also looking for someone to seek help from. He stopped and smiled when he came across a semi-familiar face.

"Mr. Tomuko! Hey!" Mokuba called, running over to the man. Mr. Tomuko turned around and seemed surprised to even see Mokuba.

"Master Mokuba, where have you been? Have you heard about what happened?" Mokuba was trying desperately to keep himself from crying purely out of nervousness and uncertainty. He knew he had to stay on task and focus on the facts for right now.

"Yes, I heard about it on the radio. I just got here. Listen, I need your help, Mr. Tomuko. I have to find my brother." Mr. Tomuko's initial response was to shake his head but instead he decided to try and explain why that wouldn't be possible.

"Master Mokuba, we need to stay here. There are people who need to question you and the police probably already has a search party going and-" Mokuba grabbed Mr. Tomuko by the front of his buttoned-up shirt and tried to pull him down to Mokuba's level.

"Mr. Tomuko, I have to find Seto, right now! I know you're a limo driver, you've driven me before and you're the only one I think I can trust. I need to get to Seto before anyone else does." This was the first real interaction Mokuba had ever had with Mr. Tomuko, but Mokuba was basing his trust purely off of the good vibe he got from Mr. Tomuko's presence. Mokuba felt this was the only shot he had.

Mr. Tomuko frowned. He really didn't want to do this and he knew that if he anyone found out about it, he would most likely get in trouble because of it. The authorities took questioning very seriously and everyone could be considered a suspect if they weren't present to receive it. Mr. Tomuko sighed; he had to try and make Mokuba understand.

"I want to help you, I really do, but I can't. And besides, I don't think I'm the person you would want to come to for finding Master Seto. I mean, Master Seto is the reason I'm a limo driver to begin with! He was the one that fired me in the first place all those years back and if it weren't for Gozaburo feeling 'sorry' for me a few months ago, I wouldn't even have a home… or even this dead-end job. I'm sorry, but, you're just going to have to find someone else…"

"PLEASE, Mr. Tomuko…" Mokuba said, quickly losing control over his own feelings as he began to hyperventilate, "I have to find my brother… I'm sorry he fired you, but I swear he didn't mean it. Its Gozaburo's fault that any of this even happened and I have to find my brother before he…" Mokuba started coughing, trying so hard to keep from sobbing. His emotions were quickly getting the best of him, some lose tears had already fallen down his face, "does something stupid…" Mokuba said very quietly. Mokuba wasn't doing this to try and gain pity; he honestly wanted the man's help. He hated pity, but he wouldn't be able to find Seto without Mr. Tomuko's assistance.

Mr. Tomuko stared at him. Surprised, honored, and confused… many things. This boy was on the verge of an emotional break down and out of everyone else around… Mokuba had come to him. Mr. Tomuko didn't know Mokuba at all. But Mokuba was in need of help and even though he wanted nothing more than to see Seto fall for firing him… if this boy believed in Seto's innocence, Mr. Tomuko could not refuse his request.

Mr. Tomuko took off his overcoat and top hat and put it on Mokuba. Before Mokuba could ask what he was doing, Mr. Tomuko started leading him around the crowd and under the caution tape.

"Wear these for a while. If an officer sees you, they'll want to question you immediately. I have a car parked out front; we can slip by quietly if we hang low." Mokuba looked up at Mr. Tomuko, his eyes were tearing up but his smile full of thanks. Mokuba couldn't explain in words how much this meant to him, he could only properly thank the man for what he was doing.

"Thank you… Mr. Tomuko, thank you."

"Please, don't call me Mr. Tomuko… I'm only a lowly limo driver after all. You can call me Isono." Mokuba had sniffled a bit, wiping away the tears and looking back forwards as they walked.

"Okay then… thank you, Isono." They were both silent as they slipped through the crowd of people surrounding the outer part of the property. Isono kept his hand on Mokuba's head, making sure to keep him as low as possible. Mokuba looked at the ground for most of the walk there as an added attempt to keep his identity a secret. Mokuba would see his vision blur as tears would build up, but he shook his head every time and wiped his eyes. This was no time to get emotional.

They reached the car without any problems and got in immediately. Mokuba got in the back seat while Isono was situated in the driver's seat. Isono buckled in his seat belt and looked into the rear view mirror at Mokuba.

"So how are we going to find this guy? Domino City is a big place, he could be anywhere. Do you have any idea of where he could be?" Mokuba wasn't looking back at him in the rear view mirror. His face had shifted from the brink of an emotional break down to one of a passionate determination to find his brother.

"I know where he is." Isono was yet again, surprised, to hear Mokuba's response.

"Where?" Isono asked.

"The only place he would be… Take me to the Domino City Park."

* * *

**A/N:** _EPIC, EPIC, EPICNESS! Oh man, I am SO super excited for the next chapter. Okay, so here's the thing… I'm not sure if the next chapter will be the last chapter or if there would be another one after that, but yeah, basically there's going to be maybe 2 chapters and then that's it! Isn't that exciting?!(I actually make that sounds pretty depressing) But trust me; I've got a bundle of surprises and cool stuff waiting for you in the chapters to come! It'll be great, I assure you! Thanks for reading!_


	23. Twenty Three

Sandstorm Amaterasu Zira: Isono is the original name of Roland; 4kids were the ones that changed his name to Roland. I know, it's a bit confusing sometimes because I do use the American names for everyone else and not Isono, but I kind of feel like Isono is a better name. I just don't like the name Roland, sorry to anyone named that out there. Thanks for the review!

Ash Kaiba: Thanks for the review!

SETO-KAIBA-LIFE: I wonder if anyone did see that coming… anyways, thanks for the review!

MythCreatorWriter: OH! Anxious, ARE WE?? Well, here it is! The last chapter! I know, I love Isono too. Sometimes I think I make him too awesome in my stories and other times I don't think I make him awesome enough. Seto wasn't bleeding at the end, sorry about that. He just kept seeing Gozaburo's blood/slammed his fist into the sidewalk. He isn't much of a crier but in my head, it fit. I'm sorry, but I really can't remember the beginning and I'm way too tired to remember if it sucked or not, but I'll totally take your word for it! You're about to get your ending, BE PREPARED! Thanks for the review!

WhiteAsukalover: Thanks for the review!

SelenaKaiba: DEAD IS WHAT WE AIM FOR. Or some sort of band name like that. Sorry, that was random, I'm really tired. But thank you for the review!

Lace Kyoko: Thank you so much for your review! Hahaha, no need to call him Tomuko-san, just call him Isono!;D (I really can't remember how I came up with that name a billion months ago… I feel like I wrote that chapter in the winter, damn, its been a long time.) Thanks again for the review!

Mirage-musician: Thank you for your review! It's very flattering to hear that you've been trying so hard and devoting so much time to reading my story, I know how hard it is to work a job, but man, having two must really stink!XP(although being a musician, I imagine, is awesome. But selling your stuff can prove to be difficult) I honestly don't know how Seto cheated, and the manga didn't say how, it just did. I really don't know how anyone can cheat at that game unless you're really subtle about it. Don't worry, you're review was awesome enough! Thanks again!

AmePiper: Yes, I am so going to wish you a happy birthday in both of my stories! Hopefully you'll get this soon, but I made a point to publish both of these chapters on your very special day, princess! This is my birthday present to you. Happy birthday!

Twenty-Three

This wasn't the way Seto pictured himself spending his first night as CEO of the company he had dreamed of running for the past six years. This wasn't the kind of picture Seto saw himself in… any time of his life. But yet there he was, running through-out the empty streets of Domino City, unsure of where he was going, and drenched from the shower of rain that had been pouring down on him for the past hour.

Seto was freezing, but he rather liked it that way.

Finally Seto stopped running as he came to the entrance of the Domino City Park. He slowly walked forward, swallowing hard as he pressed on. There was only one place he would dream of going at a time like this. He headed straight for the swing set, feeling no shame whatsoever. It was the only connection Seto felt he had to his childhood, which was saying a lot considering he didn't know who he was anymore.

Seto smiled faintly as he approaching his favorite swing. There was a rather large puddle that had collected in the middle of it, but Seto simply turned around and sat down. When he did, though, he didn't feel the satisfaction he thought he would from sitting down on it. Seto didn't feel the joy he had felt all those years back.

Again, Seto was faced with this large and disturbing feeling of being… nothing, unknown.

The tears began to surface again. This time Seto didn't fight them away, he couldn't and he didn't have the strength. Seto grasped both the chains holding up the swing and leaned completely forward as he cried. He didn't want this. He didn't want any of this. Why wouldn't these feelings go away? Why couldn't he remember who he was?

He was pathetic… that was what Seto thought of himself. What a miserable person he must seem; sitting on a swing set in the middle of the night, crying in the rain. Seto hated himself more and more with the passing minutes. He just wanted everything to stop, he wanted the rain to work its magic and take the last bit of life he had before he wasted another breath.

Seto didn't want Kaiba Corp. anymore. How could he after what it symbolized? After all that it meant? Seto went through such hell… for this, to become a CEO with blood on his hands? No… he couldn't do that. Not to mention everything he put his dear brother through.

Seto's eyes opened when he thought of Mokuba, the tears continuing to fall. He failed him… again. What a sad excuse for a human being, he couldn't even prove himself to his little brother! Mokuba must've known what was going on with him, he must've noticed the changes… and now he had probably found out about Gozaburo's death and… Seto didn't know what his brother would think of him now, especially in this state.

None of it seemed worth it, nothing did. If only he could hear his younger brother's sweet and calming voice now… at least before… Seto felt his body get heavier and his eye lids begin to close. The tears flowed smoothly, but Seto was losing all energy in his body. Seto used what little he had left to smile as he began to slip into a sweet slumber…

"Nii-sama!" Seto's eyes shot open once more. Had he been hearing things? What was that? It couldn't be his younger brother… no, it wouldn't be… "Nii-sama! I found you!" Seto lifted his head up when he felt an arm wrapped around his neck. Seto looked down. It was Mokuba whom was hugging him. Seto was surprised.

"Mokuba? What are you doing here?" Mokuba broke away and looked up.

"I came looking for you after I heard what happened…" Seto turned his head, feeling he didn't have the right to even look in Mokuba's direction. Seto sighed.

"I'm sorry… for all this." Mokuba put his hand to his brother's face and turned him back. Mokuba sensed that his brother was weak and on the brink of blacking out. Mokuba didn't know how, but he just knew.

"Nii-sama, it's okay. Please, just come with me back to the car." Seto cocked his head to the side.

"Car? How did you get here?" Mokuba pointed behind him at the man whom was standing outside of the limo out front. Isono was standing outside, patiently waiting for Mokuba's return as he held an umbrella over his head.

"Isono took me. He was the only one I felt like I could trust to ask for help. But that doesn't matter now… we have to get you out of this rain before you get sick," Mokuba went to offer a hand, but Seto shook it away. He pulled away from Mokuba's touch completely, gazing in another direction.

"I… can't, Mokuba, I'm sorry. I can't go back."

"What do you mean you can't go back? You have to go back, you're the president of Kaiba Corp. now, remember?" Seto turned back towards Mokuba.

"Mokuba… Gozaburo killed himself while I was present in the room. I still see his blood all over me whenever I looked down at my body. I can't become president with the story that will follow…"

"Pardon my French, Nii-sama, but why the hell do you care?" Seto seemed shocked by this as well, "You have never cared about what anyone else has thought about you, never. It's not how you are as a person to care. Why do you suddenly feel that way now? It's not like you're the one who killed him, he killed himself." Seto shook his head, Mokuba didn't understand.

"Look… Gozaburo killing himself isn't the only reason I feel like stepping down from ruling the company…" Seto took in a deep breath, "It's what the company symbolizes. I became the one man I never wanted to be, possibly the only man fit for the job. Now I'm not sure who I am anymore and taking the company after all that's happened seems wrong…"

Seto looked up at his brother once more.

"There was once a time where I truly did think that Kaiba Corp. was the company I wanted to rule and the life that would follow was the path I wanted to choose. But now I'm just not sure about anything anymore. And I feel that's the reason I cannot take it…" Mokuba stared at his brother, almost like he was waiting for Seto to say more.

"Is that it?" Mokuba asked, quietly. Seto nodded slowly. "I can't believe you, Nii-sama, YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT!" Mokuba slapped Seto across the face. Seto looked back at him in shock.

"Mokuba…!"

"How can you possibly think about stepping down as president?! After all we've been through, after all Gozaburo put us through, you're just going to turn your back and leave?"

"Mokuba, it's because of what he did that I can't-"

"Don't give me that! Nii-sama, you know better than anybody else what kind of hell we went through to get to this point… and I'm sorry for being so angry but…" Mokuba paused, bringing himself back down to a more calm state, "I can't let you do that. It's because of how much we suffered, that I won't let you simply give up everything we've worked for. I know you've changed, that Gozaburo changed you, but I saw and knew that from the beginning, there was no stopping what happened. It couldn't be stopped. But you have to realize, Nii-sama; that you may have become like him, but you're not him."

"…How?"

"Because… you have the one thing Gozaburo didn't have," Mokuba reached out his hand and put it over Seto's heart. Seto looked down at his chest as he did and back up. Mokuba used his other hand and grabbed Seto's palm, placing it over his own heart, "…And you have me too… No matter how dark things may seem, no matter how clouded your sense of reality will be, I will _always _be the one thing that will make you human again… because you love me. It's the one trait only a human can possess."

Seto was absolutely blown away by his brother's words; he didn't know what to say. Mokuba could already tell, bringing back his hand and putting back Seto's. He helped pull Seto onto his feet as he got up from the swing and smiled.

"You don't need to say anything, Nii-sama; you just need to come home with me and promise to rule Kaiba Corp. If not for yourself, than for me because even though you don't believe in destiny, big brother, I do, and I just know Kaiba Corp. is part of yours," Mokuba wrapped Seto's arm around his neck and led him in the direction of the car where Isono was still outside, waiting for them.

Seto said nothing, letting his brother pull him in any direction he wanted. Mokuba was right. Mokuba was right about everything and always had been. Seto might still be confused and put off by the idea of going back, but if he had his brother by his side, he could do anything. Seto trusted Mokuba with his life, and he knew he always would. But somehow, even the consequences of taking a job such as that came to mind as he walked.

"Hey Mokuba," Seto said, catching Mokuba's attention.

"Yes Nii-sama?"

"You know what this mean, don't you? If I take this job, if I rule Kaiba Corp., one of the richest companies in the world… a lot of things will change for us. Things could get tricky… and with the changes I'm going to make to one of the most powerful companies in the world, it could get dangerous." Mokuba hadn't thought of it that way. But danger was the last thing on his mind, and the last thing he would be afraid of. Not to mention that he had a hunch that the rain was getting to Seto. Mokuba decided he would have some fun with it.

"You don't think I can handle danger?"

"What are you talking about?" Seto asked, raising one eyebrow.

"I can totally handle danger. You see this?" Mokuba lifted one of his free arms towards Seto; Seto wasn't really sure what Mokuba was getting at when he did, "You see that? There's no hair under here, bro."

"What's the significance of that?"

"It makes me more aerodynamic when I fight. I can take danger." Seto laughed, mustering enough strength to ruffle the boy's wet hair.

"Mokuba, the only reason you don't have hair under there is because you haven't hit puberty yet." Seto laughed again.

"Hey, well if I did, I'd be able to run off in any situation," Mokuba was quiet again; "But… I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't care about the danger, Nii-sama. I'm ready for anything." Seto smiled again. It was good to know that Mokuba was ready to face whatever would come to them in the future. Mokuba slowed down as he approached the car and the man standing by it.

Mokuba pulled Seto over to where Isono was standing. Isono seemed relieved.

"Is he okay?" Isono asked. Mokuba nodded.

"He'll be fine once we get him home." Seto eyed Isono.

"Mokuba, who is this man and why is he here?"

"I told you, he's the one that helped me find you. He's also the guy you fired a couple years back. This is Isono." Isono awkwardly held out his hand.

"Um… nice to see you again, Sir?" Seto glared at him.

"You know, I don't like outside people witnessing emotional events of mine. I'd hate for the public to get the wrong idea if this story ever got out…"

"Oh, well, rest assured Sir that I would never-"

"You're hired."

"Wait… what?"

"You're Kaiba Corp.'s newest right hand man. Instead of letting you off, I'll keep you close by where I can keep an eye on you. For now, get me home." Seto got into the car and closed the door. Isono was shocked, but he was absolutely delighted. Mokuba was happy to hear this too. Mokuba turned to Isono.

"Don't take it personally; it's just how my brother shows appreciation." Isono nodded and gave Mokuba a thumbs up. He got the idea of how Seto worked and would go on playing the part for now. Isono and Mokuba got into the car and Isono started to drive them home.

Mokuba, as he was sitting there, looking out the window with his brother by his side, couldn't help but see the bright future that was awaiting them around the corner. Maybe things didn't look so bright now, but as long as he had his brother by his side, as long as Seto and Mokuba were together, always, they couldn't be stopped.

**-S-**

After everything that happened, I did end up going back and taking my place as president. Ruling Kaiba Corp. was awkward at first, but I stuck with it through and through because of what Mokuba had said to me that fateful night. I decided that it wouldn't matter what happened, that I would always stand by this company with my heart and soul. Because Kaiba Corp. symbolized many things, but one of the most important ones to me was the bond I had with my brother.

That was one thing Kaiba Corp. would always symbolize for me.

Needless to say, I was able to fall into the role easily and even began making changes to the company early on. I reverted from selling weaponry to selling games. The first thing I marketed was Duel Monsters, the card game that had managed to get me through my childhood. It became a huge hit and brought in a ton of money for my company.

I made sure to destroy anything that was Gozaburo and military related. I changed our image globally shortly after that and brought in more business than I had ever seen before in my life. I began all the projects I had thought of as a child and have been developing them ever since.

As the company started making more money, I used it to search the entire world for the only four Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards that existed. Aside from my company, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was also a symbol of my accomplishments and yet another tool that connected my brother and me together since Mokuba was the one that drew me the picture that caused me to pursue them. As well as my company, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was more than just a card to me and it was yet another symbol of everything I had accomplished. Obtaining the cards was somewhat like a ritual for me, a rite of passage, in a way. It only took me a couple weeks to find three of them, but one was still out of my reach. I needed to find it.

But a couple months later, however, the fall came, and I didn't have time for searching for cards because that was around the same time Mokuba insisted that I go to high school to get a diploma. I had protested my heart out, but Mokuba wouldn't budge. He felt that even though the education I had received under Gozaburo's rule was enough to get me through even the toughest college courses out there, he believed I still thought a high school diploma was essential for being a well-regarded business man that it would help me some day.

Despite the fact that I didn't understand how a diploma would ever help me since I knew I would be running Kaiba Corp. for the rest of my life, I followed my brother's orders and enrolled in school. It wasn't any special school, just a normal public school, and the closest one I could find to the Kaiba Mansion. That school was Domino High School.

The school was filled with all sorts of people, most of them annoying, but I found that if I kept to myself, everyone usually ignored me. It was the way I liked it. Maybe that wasn't what Mokuba had wanted for me, but I didn't see myself needing a social life anyway. It seemed that all I would have to do to get through high school was lived through six hours of schooling every day, five days a week, for four years and then I would be done for good.

But then one day… I overheard something that caught my attention.

"…Maybe we could go over to my Grandpa's Game Shop so he could show us this super rare card he's got!" Rare card? Somehow I had a feeling it was the card I had been searching for.

I had to have it.

**-M-**

He was gone. Before I knew it, my brother had left with little to no explanation. He said very few things before he had left, all of which I couldn't quite understand. Seto said he needed to find himself; that he didn't know who he was anymore, that his duel with Yugi had messed him up. But how did it mess him up? Why did he feel the need to leave? I didn't understand any of this. What I didn't understand the most was why he had to leave me.

I would've gladly gone with him. Assisted him in whatever he needed, followed him to the ends of the earth until he had truly found what he was looking for. But he was gone before I had even known I had lost him. Before I could run after him and keep him from leaving me.

He was gone.

* * *

**A/N:** _You guessed it, you guys; this is a prequel to my other story "Captivity," making my other story Consequences the final book to a trilogy! Isn't that exciting?! Now I have to admit, writing the ending to both the first and the last book to a trilogy was REALLY hard to do at the same time. Because I really did do them… at the same time(I still have the last chapter of Consequences opened in another Word document) And I really tried my best to try and finish both these stories before I left which involved some late night writing, which might've mixed some endings up, but all and all, I finished them both and I'm very happy about it! Although some of you might be like "WHAT?!" and some of you might be excited(for some reason I imagine some of you guys being mad at me for this) But yeah. I will admit, when I first started writing this story, I didn't know it was going to be a prequel, it literally came to me as I came to the middle of my story but if you guys followed my past author's notes, you probably also noted that I didn't know where I was going at all with my story. Which is the truth, this was one of the only stories I've ever written where I honestly didn't know what I was doing with it and what I wanted it to be about. But somehow I pressed on, moved forward, and now I'm finished with it! Granted, I do feel strange having this be the prequel to both Captivity and Consequences since both those stories don't reference this one, but I felt like it would fit as a prequel since both those other stories do what I did with this story; cover an area of the Kaiba Brothers' lives and try to fill in the blank spots. Which I like to say, and I think my readers would agree, I did just as well with those stories/arcs that I covered as I did with this one. So if you're bored and you want more, read Captivity and Consequences! Sure the format is a bit different, but I'm sure you guys won't mind. But yeah… I'm going to stop talking now because this is getting to be long. Thank you everyone for reading, reviewing, and generally being awesome! Check out the next two stories and keep rocking out to the sound of your own music!_

_P.S: Hell yes there's a P.S. in this! Happy birthday (again) AmePiper! I love you!_

_P.S.S: I'm wondering if anyone caught the Pineapple Express reference in there. Which I find funny because Pineapple Express is such a funny movie to even reference in a silly story like this and I can't believe I found a situation to reference it in for YGO in the first place! Hahaha, anyways, that was me having fun. Peace!_


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